Wine transport: Joachim Bauer and his individual Actros drawbar combination
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Individualised inside and out, MirrorCam and Multimedia Cockpit on board – Joachim Bauer leaves nothing to chance when it comes to the appearance of and equipment in his Actros. He pays attention to the finest details – right down to the correct nickname.
The individual equipment of Joachim’s Actros also pleases his boss Jerry Bodry (left).
When Joachim Bauer gets into his Actros, he always feels right at home: there is a family photo above the displays, curtains decorated with tassels, hand-stitched carpets and a custom-made imitation leather cover for the coffee machine. The colour is exactly the same shade of beige that adorns the ex-works dashboard.
“I like it cosy, and everything in the cab has to be tone-on-tone,” he says. “Driving a truck is my hobby and my profession all in one. Everything in the cab has to be just the way I like it.” The additional applications were made by Joachim’s wife. She supports him one hundred per cent in his aim of making his cab look good.
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Joachim has also worked on the outside of his silver Actros 2548: on the left of the driver’s side is an elaborately designed graphic showing the historic bridge gate of Traben-Trarbach, the place where he has lived for many years. On the right is the city emblem of the Moselle wine Mecca. There are also amber flashing lights on the sides and additional headlamps above the windscreen.
Joachim’s creative urge does not stop at the trailer either. He has specially procured an original Actros name plate from Mercedes‑Benz so that it is also clear from behind that this is the flagship of Mercedes‑Benz Trucks.
Important wineries and service providers in the industry have settled along the Moselle. Right in the middle: Joachim Bauer with his tanker based on the new Actros.
Up to date with MirrorCam and Multimedia Cockpit.
What’s special about Joachim’s new tool is not only his “customisation” but also his technical equipment. “In a few years, MirrorCam and Multimedia Cockpit will be standard,” says Joachim convinced. “But today people still wonder and want to know how the systems work when I stop somewhere.”
It only took a short amount of time for the driver from Rhineland-Palatinate to get used to the digital rear-view mirror. In the meantime, he didn’t want to miss out on the advantages of the MirrorCam: “I spend a lot of time in villages with narrow roads and drive to winemakers on winding roads. It’s an enormous advantage that I have a much better view forwards and to the side because there are no large wing mirrors.”
Joachim also likes the distance lines in the MirrorCam displays. They help to correctly assess traffic behind you. He has identified other advantages, too: the cameras mounted on the roof frame hardly get dirty at all. And in the twilight the bright MirrorCam is also superior to conventional mirror systems.
Individually designed. Joachim has designed the new Actros inside and out according to his own wishes.
Up to 25,000 litres of must and wine.
Joachim transports grape must or finished wine in his drawbar combination. His employer is GTS Logistik GmbH, also from Traben-Trarbach. The two tanks of Joachim’s vehicle can hold up to 25,000 litres. They are each divided into five chambers. “In the front, for example, I loaded Riesling, one chamber further Müller-Thurgau, and the remaining chambers contain Pinot Blanc.”
The grape harvest from mid September to the end of October marks an extreme peak in orders: during this time, the GTS tankers collect the must from the winegrowers and cooperatives and deliver it to the wineries. But Joachim and his new Actros are busy all year round. “Our tankers are always busy with transporting wine for storage and delivering to the bottling plants,” he says. “The bottlers can’t keep all the wines in storage. Instead, they continually check what is in demand and then see where they can get the wine from.”
MirrorCam, Active Brake Assist 5 and Safeguard Assist support Joachim on the narrow roads and bridges of the Moselle valley.
MirrorCam, Active Brake Assist 5 and Safeguard Assist support Joachim on the narrow roads and bridges of the Moselle valley.
MirrorCam, Active Brake Assist 5 and Safeguard Assist support Joachim on the narrow roads and bridges of the Moselle valley.
“In a few years, MirrorCam and Multimedia Cockpit will be standard.”
– Joachim Bauer
Joachim delivers wine to ZGM in Zell an der Mosel, one of the largest wineries in the region.
Joachim delivers wine to ZGM in Zell an der Mosel, one of the largest wineries in the region.
Joachim delivers wine to ZGM in Zell an der Mosel, one of the largest wineries in the region.
Joachim delivers wine to ZGM in Zell an der Mosel, one of the largest wineries in the region.
Joachim used to be an enthusiastic long-distance driver. “I liked
being on the road.” After he met his current wife, however, he only
drove heavy-duty distribution tankers. “The destinations aren’t that
far, and I’m home in the evening.” Rhinehessen, Palatinate, Franconia,
Kaiserstuhl, Württemberg and the Moselle – these are the wine regions
in which the Traben-Trarbach native knows many smaller and larger
winemakers.
Every truck has a name.
Joachim Bauer is a truck driver through and through – and a true fan of Mercedes‑Benz Trucks. His boss Jerry Bodry, managing director of GTS Logistik, supports his passion and ensures that the trucks are well equipped.
Just how much Joachim cares about his truck is made clear by another detail: his new Actros has a name – just like all its predecessors with which the 52-year-old has been on the road during the 25 years of his career. “People might think I’m crazy by giving my truck a nickname. But with me, all my trucks get a name. The current one is called ‘Sternschnuppe’ (shooting star).” Probably because its awe-inspiring.
Photos: Matthias Aletsee
Video: Martin Schneider-Lau
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9 comments
Ein interessanter Artikel und schöne Fotos und ein tolles Video.
Grüsse Jörg 👍👍👍👍👌⛟😎
Ein interessanter Artikel und schöne Fotos und ein tolles Video.
Grüsse Jörg 👍👍👍👍👌⛟😎