Jean Pagis is an expert on vehicle transport

Panorama

Precision as with Tetris.

Transporting vehicles requires a high degree of care and attention. Jean Pagis coaches new truck drivers in this field for Transports Rabouin.


In Le Cellier, near Nantes, is the extensive car park of Transports Rabouin, with space for hundreds of cars. One of the company's Actros 1846 is just bringing a few more vehicles: eight brand new Mercedes-Benz. For each truck, the goal is the same: to transport as many vehicles as possible at one time. The moveable platforms of the semitrailer are horizontal when loaded, but the tilt can be changed using a remote control.



Speed and concentration.

Jean Pagis climbs out of the cab of the Actros and gets into the first car. He drives the cars off one after the other, as if they were his own.

“Concentration and care are a basic requirement,” says Jean. “The smallest error can cause a lot of expensive damage. All the same, when loading and unloading, you have to be quick.”

At the age of 52, he's been working in vehicle transport since 1987. What counts is experience. The old reflexes are indispensable. As an expert coach, he has been passing on his expertise since 2000, training young drivers.


Knowledge transfer.

The training course lasts between two and three weeks. Jean Pagis drives through the region with new trainee drivers every day.

The training includes familiarising oneself with all the technological intricacies of the Actros and the semitrailer, and also learning all about route planning. When checking the vehicles that are being loaded for previous damage, it's important to be very careful. “You're the one who loads and unloads the cars,” says Jean.

“Each load is different, and the tours are never the same. I love this job!” He has already imparted his passion to many drivers.



Photos: Hans Müller

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