A top-tier truck
Yellow is passé – at Sascha Pfeiffer and Thiery Jadatz’s company, the post comes in a sophisticated black lion. The postMAN, which Hafner Transporte’s two MAN TGX D38 trucks have been affectionately nicknamed, not only looks like a unique kind of post truck, it also enjoys a certain special status. The stylish lion is one of MAN’s limited 100-year editions, of which only 250 were produced.
And, to make this vehicle even more exclusive, the director of Hafner Transport, Sascha Pfeiffer, chose a unique colour for this special model. Although there were originally four colours to choose from for this flagship truck, Sascha Pfeiffer’s request for a fifth was granted. This is why his postMAN can be seen driving about in an exclusive jet black design. Needless to say, the fire lion, one of the trademarks of the 100-year edition, roars from the sides of the cab on his model too.
Sascha and driver and business partner Thiery take turns on the roads in the stylish MAN TGX. They alternate between day and night runs between Waiblingen and Freiburg in the Black Forest, transporting post and publications such as catalogues and magazines. Their “nightMAN”, a blue MAN TGX and the second vehicle in Hafner’s fleet, is also used in these transports. But it’s the black post lion that the two business partners are most excited about: “It was the first new vehicle that Sascha bought in 2016 and a lot of time and love has been invested in it,” explains Thiery, who now spends many extra hours maintaining the impressive truck together with Sascha. The result is a glossy black cab which you can see your reflection in and which acts as a backdrop to let the fire of the vinyl lion motif really shine. The jet black beauty has already racked up an impressive number of hours on the road. Thiery is proud that the vehicle looks like new, despite the fact that the speedometer reveals that the MAN TGX already has 850,000 kilometres on the clock, which nobody could believe.
The 27-year-old completed vocational training at MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland GmbH in 2016 and has been a keen fan of MAN ever since. Even back then, his dream was to be a driver, an ambition that he fulfilled when he started working at a company owned by a family friend, Sascha. “Officially, Sascha is my boss and I’m his employee,” explains Thiery. But they still keep things very collaborative. It’s therefore fitting that it’s not just Thiery who shows his enthusiasm for MAN in his personal life – having recently been inked with a MAN tattoo on his forearm – as Sascha also dedicates some of his free time to MAN.
Specifically, this means that both men put a lot of time and love into maintaining the postMAN, and have come up with a few ways to further enhance the appearance of the truck, which was already ultra exclusive when they received it. But how do you make a truck like this even more sophisticated? Starting with a fully lit protective radiator grille, which features both lettering and the lion logo with additional LEDs, through to entrance strips and steps made from stainless steel. It continues with MAN door light projectors, a rear panel with lettering and a completely redesigned set of vinyls so that the fire lions continue to roar from the sides like they did on the very first day. And it goes without saying that truck enthusiasts won’t be disappointed by the vehicle interior either, where the premium feel is continued. Specifically, the lion’s entire steering wheel was removed and given a new leather cover with unforgettable tangerine decorative stitching. They incorporated many thoughtful details, explains Thiery, but consulted the professionals for help with extra technical features. “The ideas come from us, but we prefer to leave technical subjects like lighting to the professionals.” The driver, who even as a young child knew he wanted to work in the truck industry, found the ideal partner in the shape of the MAN workshop in Winterbach.
Thiery is fully committed to driving MAN trucks
Thiery and Sascha are both certain that the blood, sweat and tears, as well as money, that they put into the special edition MAN truck have paid off. They estimate that the post truck will rack up far more than one million kilometres. The lion’s good engine features will help with this, as will its optimised power. And even if the truck goes into well-earned retirement one day: Thiery is adamant that “there’s no way we’ll sell the vehicle”. The MAN is too close to their hearts to do that. When the time comes to replace the legendary postMAN, he is certain that this next vehicle will be another truck from MAN. “I was shaped by my time at MAN, my business partner is also passionate about the brand.”
“I won’t even consider using anything other than MAN.”
Both men have already had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new MAN Truck generation, when they envisaged their dream truck. “I won’t even consider using anything other than MAN – even the most exceptional benefits couldn’t convince me otherwise. It simply works. I like the vehicle, it’s nice to drive, comfortable and quiet.” And the fact that the postMAN is so eye-catching is an added bonus, reports Thiery. It’s impossible for him to go unnoticed when he’s driving the perfectly styled postMAN. The stylish black lion is often photographed by other road users when they’re stuck in congestion, for example. This comes as no surprise to Thiery, as he is one of its biggest fans: “The vehicle is one of a kind.”
