Lothar Barth counts on MAN OptiView

For entrepreneur and driver Lothar Barth, there’s no question that “everyone should have MAN OptiView”. Ever since he came across a MAN truck without exterior mirrors –which, admittedly, takes some getting used to – he would never drive with mirrors again. “I’m really very well served by the cameras,” he says. At first, he had his doubts as to whether he would need the system at all.

However, an unnerving experience with a cyclist on one of his routes – fortunately, no one was harmed – made the 53-year-old aware that he could well use a reliable assistant when it came to visibility. So when he ordered his new MAN truck, MAN OptiView was definitely on the list.

The first truck Lothar bought for himself

Apart from its eye-catching elements and technical features, the new truck has a particular individual significance for Lothar –  the MAN TGX was the first truck that he bought for himself. Previously, all of the other new vehicles he had purchased had been for his drivers. He himself drove two used trucks. Both vehicles were also MAN trucks – anything else would have been out of the question for the self-employed driver. “I’m MAN through and through,” he laughs. His father and uncle ingrained this in him early on, explains Lothar. “My father had a transport company and my uncle and sponsor was a foreman at MAN. When I was born, the two of them decided that I’d do my apprenticeship at MAN.” What neither of them could have known at the time was that  this dream would actually become a reality for Lothar. He did his vocational training at MAN and also spent several years there before ultimately joining his parents’ company and obtaining his truck driver’s licence. “We’ve always had a MAN truck. That wasn’t up for debate,” he says. This made it obvious that the new truck would be a MAN vehicle. “Especially when it became public that MAN was bringing out a new vehicle,” says Lothar.

Above all, he likes the front design of the new MAN TGX better than the previous version. The haulier from the Bavarian town of Hohenwart also considers the switches in the door to be a real improvement for his everyday driving and he is pleased with the generous space and comfort offered by the MAN truck’s cab. “The seating position is very good,” he notes enthusiastically. “You simply have more space and feel right at home. It’s just a case of getting in and feeling comfortable.” His good relationship with the MAN Ingolstadt service company and his special rapport with salesman Alexander Seibold, which goes far beyond business, played a decisive role in Lothar being able to get a MAN truck to his liking.

“The vehicle must always look good.”

Apart from the practical and up-to-date extras, there’s a lot of love in Lothar’s trucks that bear the MAN lion. From the beginning, it was clear to him that he wanted to create a few of his own visual elements. He also got a lot of help from friends. The bracket on the cab roof and the battery box are custom-made. One of his friends also created the lion design. The result is truly one-of-a-kind –  a truck that gets people talking, and not just because of its looks. Actually, its appearance does lead to one talking point –  the new MAN truck without exterior mirrors often leads to surprised glances from onlookers. “Almost at every petrol station I meet someone who approaches me and walks around the truck to take a look.” He continues that many would then ask him about the MAN OptiView system, how satisfied he was with it and whether everything worked properly. “I’m really well served by the cameras,” Lothar summarises. “It takes about three to four weeks to assess everything,” he says. But, he adds, after that everything was well under control and, above all, clearly visible. Folding in or even removing the mirrors, as he sometimes had to do in the past on narrow roads, were also no longer necessary. In the meantime, Lothar even believes that everyone should have MAN OptiView. “Because you simply have a completely different view around the vehicle.”

“You just have a much better view around the vehicle.”

Lothar’s daily driving already has enough to test his nerves without having to contend with blind spots or situations where you can’t see properly. He primarily transports transformer stations, some of which are taken to remote areas – for example to Austrian mountains or ski resorts where other people might go skiing or hiking. But he also drives his truck in narrow inner-city areas. The other day, a transformer station needed to be moved to a courtyard in Munich and lifted over a high-rise building with a 400-tonne crane. Lothar, who is also responsible for setting up the transformer stations himself, likes this kind of high-adrenaline job. What’s more, his clients really more than appreciate his professionalism. Even in the most impossible situations, Lothar has the right solution. In such moments, you can tell that  his heart is in this job and in driving. “It was my dream job,” he says. How nice that he can now do it in his dream MAN truck.