With passion, timber and MAN

Over the past 40 years, Manfred Mengel has spent a lot of time in the forest and with MAN vehicles. He has been enjoying his well-deserved retirement since April 2023 – at least in theory. Because he still enjoys regularly climbing into a Lion truck and remains as a driver on the books of W. + H. Mengel GmbH & Co KG.

Tradition and passion for over 90 years – the website of the company W. + H. Mengel GmbH & Co. KG from Burgwald-Bottendorf immediately makes visitors confident that good work is reliably being done here. At Mengel, this is due among other things to the fact that the company is a family affair – boss Lukas Mengel is the fourth generation to manage the company. In addition, the company has a fleet that has been based exclusively on the reliability of MAN vehicles since 1950, and also has employees who bring a great deal of experience and dedication to their work. One of them is Manfred Mengel, called Manni, the uncle of company manager Lukas Mengel. The 65-year-old started at the company 40 years ago, which was first run by his grandfather, then by his father and finally by his brother. The time Manni Mengel spent in the company yard as a child and young person is not even included. “I often preferred to sit next to my father in the truck on Saturdays instead of going to a football game or doing something else,” he remembers. He started out as a toolmaker, but by growing up in his parents’ company he also grew into the driver’s profession from the very beginning.

“In the forest you have your peace and quiet, and when nature begins to bloom in spring, the heart also blooms.”

Right at the large beech tree 

“Driving has become much easier,” says Manni Mengel, who still remembers the times without automatic gearboxes, power steering and sophisticated brake system. “ABS was unknown back then,” he laughs, saying that sliding sideways in winter was simply part of it. On the other hand, he says there is now much more traffic and a lack of consideration among road users. “Together we can do better” is unfortunately no longer the case from Manfred Mengel’s point of view when he looks at the conditions on the roads these days. Perhaps that’s why he still enjoys working in the timber sector: “In the forest you have your peace and quiet,” says Manfred Mengel, “and when nature begins to bloom in spring, the heart also blooms.” Especially after harsh winters, when you have had to fit snow chains again and again, he says that this seems like a kind of compensation.

However, the peace and quiet in the forest does not hide the fact that the job as a timber truck driver is very demanding. Especially in the early days, he says that it took some time to get used to the physical demands, particularly due to the reduced equipment 40 years ago that meant the driver’s workload was much higher than with the modern assistants today. The trained toolmaker, who had been used to working in the warm workshop in the winter, initially struggled to get accustomed to the harsh working conditions outdoors. The work clothing was neither warm nor waterproof at the time. Likewise, there were few assistance systems that would meet today’s standards. “In the past, when there were no maps, drivers had to make a clear plan of where they wanted to go and how to get to the place where the timber was stored.” To do this, they drove the route with the forester and made notes about striking waymarks – such as “right at the large beech tree” – which they could later use as a guide. In the case of long timber transport – Manfred Mengel’s main work field – there were also considerations about the direction in which the timber was facing, whether you could get around everywhere and what the ground was like. Conscientious advance planning was key: “Before you drive into the forest, you have to think carefully about what is possible and whether it is possible at all,” says Manfred Mengel, describing a basic requirement for successful transport of long timber. Short-term rescheduling is just as much part of this as professional handling of the loading crane and chainsaw.

A community spirit among timber truck drivers

For Manfred Mengel, it is the sense of camaraderie that has defined working for and in the family business for all the years. “The yellow vehicles are for timber,” laughs Mengel, “and the white ones drive the prefabricated houses”, adding that there was always a collegial and friendly atmosphere among the 26 drivers. “Problems are there to be discussed and also solved,” says Manfred Mengel. “Lukas assigns the upcoming tasks at five o’clock in the morning, the timber truck drivers then decide among themselves who will take over which tour, so that everyone has as few empty kilometres as possible and there is something left for the company. There is a lot of freedom to make your own decisions.” MAN has been the only brand in the company yard since 1950: “I believe that while I’ve been with the company, no other sales representative has ever been at the Mengel yard,” laughs the timber truck driver. However, there has also never been the need or suggestion to try another manufacturer. “We are and have always been 100 percent satisfied with MAN.” Tradition and passion will continue to be the driving forces of W. + H. Mengel GmbH & Co KG.