Transporting a boat to the far north
A vessel owned by the water rescue service in the town of Prien am Chiemsee set course for Bremerhaven by land. On duty for this special transport assignment: an MAN TGX 26.640 6×4/4 with a 2-axle Doll Panther lowbed semitrailer, driver Rainer Beyer from the SCT MAN Special Vehicles team, MAN service advisor Christian Frölich, escort driver Benni and a number of helpers from the water rescue service.
When it became clear that the Prien water rescue vessel would have to be sent to a shipyard near Bremen to have repair work carried out on its driveline, the head of the water rescue service, Christian Frölich, turned to MAN colleague and special transport expert Rainer Beyer. “Every day brings a new challenge” could be Rainer’s motto, and that includes finding suitable solutions for every transport assignment, including the right vehicles.
“In fact, we found a suitable vehicle combination to transport the motor lifeboat ‘Rolf’ from within our own fleet,” says Rainer, who was in no doubt that he himself would be the one to drive the MAN TGX 26.640 on this special assignment. He also took care of all logistical issues, such as route planning and the approval process for the transportation operation: “The dimensions of the vessel were the reason why we needed a permit to transport it and couldn’t simply load it up and go,” says Rainer. With an overall length of 20.50 metres, a maximum width of 3.50 metres and a height of four metres, certain requirements had to be met. For example, an escort vehicle had to accompany the special transport on the motorway and all federal roads in the German state of Lower Saxony. To be on the safe side for the entire route, Rainer opted to bring in the escort vehicle from the outset.
“Benni, our escort driver, made a real difference to our team in his MAN TGE from the company NL Exepioneel,”
enthuses Rainer, who was in radio contact with the driver the whole way. “Benni did a great job. He was always thinking ahead, keeping the lanes clear so we didn’t have to stop.” The escort driver in his MAN TGE also did a great job of organising the whole rest stop, from choosing a suitable parking area in the state of Thuringia to getting coffee for everyone.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Before anyone could start thinking about the rest stop, the major challenges of the project had to be addressed. One of those was the process of loading the vessel onto the MAN semitrailer combination. About three to four hours of work went into getting the enormous cargo onto the low loader trailer in a safe and orderly manner. A crane was used to raise the vessel so that the vehicle could be reversed into position beneath its hull. A carpenter from the Prien water rescue service built a customised frame for ‘Rolf’ on site so that the vessel could be positioned on the semitrailer in a sensible manner. “We had a lot of helpers working closely alongside each other,” Christian Frölich says, reflecting on the time-consuming loading operation.
Getting off the water rescue premises and onto the road with the protruding combination also proved to be a challenge: “It came down to millimetres,” Rainer explains. It was a tight squeeze because of the length of the combination. But everything went according to plan, thanks again to the well-coordinated team: Rainer Beyer drove the vehicle, Christian Frölich took on the role of steering the semitrailer, and lots of volunteers from the Prien water rescue service were on hand to help on the left and right of the combination. “You have to stay calm. We all pulled together to get it done,” says Rainer, revealing one of the key factors in making special transport work.
Preparation is the be-all and end-all!
In his line of work, it is essential that you are able to keep a cool head. After all, you can come across all kinds of issues along the route, and these can only be overcome by remaining calm. For example, collisions with other road users, who often have little understanding of the challenges posed by special and heavy-duty transport, are not uncommon. Rainer explains that some road users do not take them seriously. “There are specific rules that we have to follow along each route. For example, the authorities stipulate the speed we have to drive at and whether we should drive in the middle of the road – and we have to stick to these rules scrupulously,” explains Rainer.
In the run-up to the transportation operation, he is personally responsible for finding out about all the specifications, and for going over the entire route meticulously and preparing for it. “Finding a suitable route is part of the approval process,” he says, adding that this also involves phoning the road maintenance authorities to find out about any unscheduled roadworks that might make it necessary to choose an alternative route.
“Conscientious preparation is the be-all and end-all, because nothing is worse than being stuck on the motorway and blocking all the traffic because you’ve realised you can’t get through,” says the transportation expert. When everything goes off without a hitch, it’s always a reason to be happy and to raise a glass to the collective achievement. This is, of course, what Rainer Beyer and his helpers did when they entered the “port of destination” near Bremerhaven at around two o’clock in the morning with their vessel on board.
For the next few months, the boat from Lake Chiemsee will stay in the far north. It will be transported back to its home port once the repair work has been completed. The decision has already been made that Rainer Beyer and Christian Frölich will be back at the helm for this. With the support of their employer MAN and the reliable MAN vehicle fleet, they will once again join forces to ensure that the Prien water rescue service can put its vessel back into operation for the summer months.
Note: All Covid-19 regulations were adhered to throughout the entire operation.