A life with trucks and buses
A dream come true: Thomas Bänsch had no greater wish than to become a professional driver. He has now been behind the wheel for almost four decades and can still not imagine a better job.
“I’ve been driving a wide range of trucks and buses for 39 years,” says Thomas Bänsch from Julbach when describing his professional life as a driver. “It’s my life to constantly face new challenges, be it the new technology in the trucks or manoeuvring trailers and tractor/semitrailer combinations into the most impossible entrances.” The 57-year-old started in 1984 with 7.5-tonne vehicles, then from 1987 he discovered the large trucks for himself, and in 1993 Thomas even added buses to his driving repertoire.
“It’s just nice to move these large vehicles and always be out in the open,”
he enthuses.
Currently, the professional driver is facing the daily challenges in the construction site sector. He is on the road with a roll-off skip loader for a group of companies that is active in the crane rental and construction industry. An opportunity for him to fully exploit the potential of his MAN TGS 26.400: “I’m primarily on the road with a roll-off asphalt tipper, but often enough I also have to deliver roll-off bodies with weight plates for our cranes, as well as a wide range of materials for structural and civil engineering work.” And transporting large machines such as asphalt pavers, rollers, excavators or dozers to various construction sites with the low loader is also part of his job. It never gets boring. Because when Thomas has met the challenge of manoeuvring his vehicle with the load into the right position in a space that is usually very narrow, the load is waiting to be unloaded properly. Since Thomas is mostly out and about alone, it helps him a lot that he can operate all of the company’s machines.
Thomas appreciates the spacious and practical cab of his MAN. But nevertheless, like so many other drivers, he dreams of a new truck with the Lion logo, which he would ideally be able to help configure during the purchase process. “My profession is also my hobby,” reveals Thomas. Nevertheless, he also likes to switch to two wheels in his free time: his love of vehicles also includes a 33-year-old Harley Davidson, which he then enjoys riding.