Transporting wine: Richard Le Gall and his Actros 1848

Economics & Logistics

Once a trucker, always a trucker.

Richard Le Gall always wanted to be a fireman. Today he drives vehicles full of liquid, albeit ones which tend to be full of wine!

Real experts: Richard was specially trained for transporting wine.


Richard backs his semitrailer up to the filling station at the Bourdouil winery in Rivesaltes. A vintner pulls the hose out of a container in the cellar, ready to attach it to the pristine stainless steel tank. The Actros 1848 is equipped with an air conditioning system which operates independently of the engine and a Voith retarder. With it, Richard also transports other foodstuffs, including olive oil, milk, grape juice and other fruit juices, and even water. But more often than not, he’s transporting wine.

Richard works for the Transports Raymondis which is based in northern Perpignan.



Wine from Rivesaltes, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Spain.

The company whose headquarters are located in the heart of the Rivesaltes vineyards was founded over 100 years ago. It’s so well-known in the area that junction 41 of the A9 motorway there is colloquially known among truckers as the “Raymondis exit". The company is specialised in the transportation of fluids, and in particular, wine. The majority of its customers are located in the Perpignan-Toulouse-Nîmes triangle.

“It’s mostly wine co-operatives and wine-growing estates, but there are also some industrial companies among our customers, including Pernod-Ricard, for whom we transport products to the filling plant in Thuir in the eastern Pyrenees. But we also pick up wine in Burgundy, Spain and Bordeaux,” explains 54-year-old Richard, who has been driving for Transports Raymondis for the past two years.


Drivers also need specialist knowledge of the field.

Richard used to be a long-distance driver. With his curtainsider, he travelled all around Germany, Switzerland, Spain, the UK and Italy. When he arrived at Raymondis, it was the first time he’d ever driven a tanker. In order to be able to do that, he first had to complete an eight-day training course. Drivers are required to acquire a certain amount of specialist knowledge for this type of transport. Among other things, they have to check the fill level with a measuring lance of up to 2.5 metres in length. Then there is also the nitrogen sealing of the tank, which prevents the wine from fermenting during lengthy transport. Plus, the inside of the tank needs extensive cleaning to ensure that even the smallest amounts of residue from products like milk don’t spoil the wine.


Top location: Raymondis is located in the heart of the Rivesaltes vineyards.


Tanker semitrailer instead of a fire appliance.

Richard originally wanted to be a fireman. And to do that, he needed a truck driving licence. “I passed my licence and whilst I was waiting for the appraisal with the fire brigade, I started working as a trucker. I loved the independence so much that I just stuck at it.” And he also really enjoys driving tankers: “I get to drive through some breath-taking wine regions and often have to pick up products at beautiful wine estates. It’s almost like taking a tour around a castle each time.” In autumn, he was able to accompany five colleagues in the Champagne region who were delivering the grape juice to the wine producers there. “I was on the road for a whole week – it reminded me a bit of my previous job.”


Photos: Hans Müller

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