MANmagazine Truck edition 1/2017 Great Britain

01/2017
Driving expertise is a must in the logging sector: Rugged
forest tracks and hard-to-secure loads demand a lot from vehicle
operators. In MAN ProfiDrive training programmes, they learn how
to handle these challenges even more proficiently.
Timber
tech
Secured correctly: An important part of
training is the topic of safeguarding cargo,
such as by utilising tension belts.
Fully focused, Benedikt Fuchs observes
the heavily laden 40-tonner
on the MAN testing grounds in
Munich-Karlsfeld, where drivers
practice accelerating up a steep
hill. In reverse, the truck slowly
moves up the rocky mound, and while gravel
spits out from underneath the heavy tires, the
trailer calmly glides uphill – due to the activated
MAN HydroDrive®. “We simply get a 100%
performance with this HydroDrive by MAN,”
comments Fuchs with appreciation, “while
competitors drop out at 70%.” As a native of
the mountainous Allgäu region in southern
Germany, he knows about difficult driving manoeuvres
in off-road terrain. He’s been working
in the logging industry for 35 years and now
runs the timber wholesaler Schneider & Söhne
in Isny. It is not unusual for trucks to get stuck
in the mountain forests of the Allgäu. Fuchs
also shows mobile-phone images of tippedover
trucks, before climbing into the driver’s
cab to handle the acceleration routine on the
off-road terrain with seasoned expertise. On
the adjacent asphalt track, a fully loaded timber
truck roars through a tightly spaced stretch of
pylons. On this day, Fuchs is one of 10 drivers
participating with their tractor-trailers in the
pilot training programme geared towards
short-log transport, which is conducted by
MAN ProfiDrive® at its testing grounds near
Munich. “This is a very special training and specifically
designed just for this industry,” explains
Rolf Lechner, Team Leader for the Training
department at MAN ProfiDrive, who
co-developed the new instruction course.
THE MAIN FOCUS is on driver safety, automotive
technology and securing cargo. Timber
truck drivers must master “very complex
techniques”, says Lechner, and this refers not
only to the newest technologies of MAN
Truck & Bus vehicles: The customer service
agent from Palfinger Epsilon offers information
about safe handling of the loading crane,
while a colleague from ExTe talks about the
operation of timber conveyor cars and the
loading safety systems of his company.
„We specifically
designed this
training for the
timber industry.”
Rolf Lechner, Team Leader Training at MAN ProfiDrive
© Max Kratzer
Self-assured in every situation:
With professional coaching,
drivers practise on ascents for
their challenging daily routines.
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