The view through the windscreen is unbelievable
Bus driver or truck driver – Nicolas Eriksen only ever wanted to be one thing when he was a child: a driver. Nowadays he is glad that he ended up in a truck. His tours take him all over Norway – a challenge even for experienced drivers.
Mountains, fjords and the great outdoors. It reads like a travelogue yet describes the day-to-day work of professional driver Nicolas Eriksen – well, the view he has from his windscreen every day, at least. It’s always breathtaking, “unless you’re in a tunnel,” says the young driver from Bergen, laughing. And there are plenty of those, too: Norway has 1164 road tunnels.
Driving in Norway is not without its dangers either: Since there are next to no motorways in the country, except for those that run through large cities, drivers spend a lot of time on small and narrow roads, something that is very taxing. That’s not a problem for Nicolas though, who says: “I love being behind the wheel and I also really enjoy driving on smaller roads.”
In the harsh Norwegian winters, however, even he reaches his limits. After all, winter in Norway is synonymous with ice and chaos and, above all, road closures: “We then have to take detours, meaning we are delayed by several hours. And there are people who are not used to driving on roads in the Norwegian winter. Those who don’t know how to put anti-skid chains on their tyres and those who block roads because they didn’t think anti-skid chains were necessary or didn’t have any with them.”
His favourite vehicle? An MAN.
On his tours through the far north, the 24-year-old has been able to rely on a special truck since 2021, an MAN TGX with 580 hp and one of the first trucks from the new MAN Truck Generation to be registered in Norway. “This is the truck that MAN Norway used to unveil the next generation. It was driven all over Norway and even featured in a few commercials,” Nicolas proudly reports.
“This MAN is my favourite truck. I love the comfort it offers and how spacious the cab is. It feels robust and stable on the road. The steering is perfect, not too light and not too heavy. What I like a lot compared to the previous generation is the new infotainment system, its ease of operation and MAN SmartSelect. The new digital display also looks great. ”
“I love everything about the truck, it looks amazing and is very easy to handle.”
And where can you find Nicolas when he is not out on the road in his truck working? Behind the wheel. “Basically, my job is my hobby. I love driving whether it’s for work or not.” Nicolas knew this from a very young age and simply turned his dream of driving into a reality.