The BOOK LION is coming
When Johannes Wahl goes on tour with his truck called Marie – a MAN TGM 15.250 – the book-loving citizens of Erlangen eagerly await the arrival of the “city library”. Because that’s what professional driver Johannes is towing behind him with his MAN featuring a special body. The lettering “Fahrbibliothek Erlangen” (Erlangen City Library) reveals what the special vehicle is all about.
Once Johannes has skilfully manoeuvred his Marie through the often narrow streets, reversed and parked properly, the doors of the small but wonderful book paradise located in the lion’s superstructure can open. Small is relative – after all, there is room for around 4000 titles here, including books, DVDs, radio plays, magazines and other media. Every week, from Monday to Friday, Johannes drives to 17 stops in Erlangen with the ,mobile library, which in his case is a truck. Every four weeks, six Erlangen schools also join the clientele of this MAN library. The journey, which is not infrequently difficult due to the high volume of traffic or the roads that are not always easy to pass, is precisely one of the challenges that Johannes particularly loves about his job.
He has been working as a professional driver since 2007. “I like to be on the road, I drive anything with wheels, and vehicles and technology fascinate me,” he says, explaining why he chose this job. His enthusiasm for vehicles also applies in particular to MAN trucks: “Ever since I got my driving licence on a MAN F2000, I’ve been a huge fan and have followed MAN’s development and history. For him, membership of the Trucker’s World by MAN drivers’ club is naturally part of the deal. “So that I can keep up to date,” he says, but also “to learn about the day-to-day lives of other professional drivers.” That’s also how he came up with the idea of introducing himself and his Marie in the Trucker’s World by MAN media:
“I want to report on the best job in the world,” he says, “and tell you why I particularly like my MAN TGM, a special vehicle called Marie.”
Incidentally, the special model, which is twelve metres long and boasts a wheelbase of almost seven metres, got its name because Johannes thought that the special truck should have a name, and at the time a song called “Marie” was playing on the radio. “I liked the name and thought it was appropriate,” he says. The truck itself impresses him with its reliability and timeless design. Even if he dreams of driving the new MAN TGX, nothing can beat his Marie. Especially as his driving interest is not exclusively focused on the most modern MAN model. His desire to drive the 1988 MAN Kat rally Dakar truck, which he knows from the technology museum in Sinsheim, or, since he also has a bus driver’s licence, the BVB team bus, is just as great. The MAN library is in high demand. Children, families and older people in particular like to take advantage of what it has to offer. “The mobile library has been very well received, not only by the readers, but by the entire local population. A lot of people wave to us when they see us,” Johannes reports proudly. Again and again, he also sees adults among the visitors who had visited the mobile library as children and are now returning with their own children. “We are always very happy to hear stories like this,” says Johannes.
When he isn’t driving, Johannes carries out minor maintenance work on the vehicle or cares for it inside and out. Or he helps out the mobile library team in the city library. As soon as he has parked his Marie at one of the stops, he switches from the driver’s seat to the library trailer: Here, he returns and issues media, collects fees, configures media and answers customers’ questions. 2022 also saw a very special event for the driver of the book truck: In July, the library on wheels celebrated its 60th anniversary. A special anniversary week was held to mark this – a welcome occasion for Johannes to really celebrate his reliable MAN named Marie.