Favourite picture: Floating shortcut

The Rhine ferry is suddenly dwarfed by the large red tractor/trailer combination slowly boarding to make the crossing to Bingen. The morning sun is low over the sparkling, fast-moving river between the vineyards. Many of the hills are crowned by a castle, and at the foot of one such hill is a picturesque little town. The Schwank freight forwarding truck comes from Lorch, ten kilometres from Bingen on the other side of the Rhine, where the company headquarters are located in amongst the tourist attractions. Their core competence: jumbo tractor/trailer combinations and corresponding demountable platform bodies.

The ferry to the west bank of the River Rhine is the shortest route to the A 61 motorway and on to Metz in France. The freight forwarding company drivers like taking the ferry. On some trips to the west, it is an equivalent alternative to driving over the Rhine bridges in Koblenz or Mainz.

Photos: Bernhard Huber

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