Why Dumitru Botis from Milan values his new Actros
Economics & Logistics
Dumitru Botis is 32 years old, while his boss at Spiz Trasporti is just four years older. But the most prized employee is the youngest member of the company: his Actros!
Dumitru displays a great sense of responsibility and alertness in his work for the company Spiz Trasporti.
The combination of rail and road is one which is becoming increasingly popular among transport companies. As a result, the flow of containers, swap bodies and semitrailers arriving at intermodal terminals in Italy for onward transport is on the increase. The result: transport companies focusing on this combination are on course for rapid growth. Dumitru Botis has been working for one such company, Spiz Trasporti, for six years. Roberto Spizzirri established his company sixteen years ago in Cusago near Milan, taking inspiration from his own family to name his company. Today his 41 vehicles enjoy a strong presence in all of the terminals in northern Italy.
When visiting the yard of Spiz Trasporti, one thing that stands out is that all of the employees are very young - even the founder of the company, who is 36 years of age, is one of the "oldest" members of the company. Dumitru is 32 and for the most part has spent his life as a driver at this company in Milan: "I came to Italy from Romania eleven years ago", he explains. "I wanted to drive trucks from a very early age, but in the beginning I didn't have the opportunity to do so. In the meantime I acquired my truck driver's licence and finally took may place behind the wheel in the cab. Initially I worked for a cooperative, and then I drove trucks for Spiz".
As a result Dumitru has specialised in transporting intermodal transport units. It is work which is more complex than it appears. The driver demonstrates this at the intermodal terminal of Mortara, a daily destination for the trucks of Spiz Trasporti. "When we have to drive a full container from our customer to the terminal, it's not just a case of loading the container onto the semitrailer - the driver has to carry out a number of important checks. Above all the seals must be checked, as they have to be intact. If not – if goods go missing during the delivery – we can be held liable.
Intermodal transport is a world apart – but Dumitru Botis is familiar with its peculiarities.
Checks must also be made as to whether the gross weight of the full trailer combination does not exceed the permissible maximum weight according to the Italian road traffic regulations, the "Codice della Strada". This is where the Actros helps me, as it displays the weight being carried by each individual axle in the instrument panel. And when we have to load a refrigerated container or tank, we also have to write down the temperature". If everything is in order, Dumitru presents the papers at the company's exit gates.
"Unloading can take place directly on the train wagon or in the yard", he continues. "Often we have to pick up another container at exactly the same transshipment point and then also carry out all of the checks – also checking whether the container is intact".
Pleasant surprise.
In October 2015 the company Spiz entrusted the young driver with a new Actros 1845 with retarder and full safety package: "When I got into the Actros for the first time, I immediately liked the interior appointments", says Dumitru. "But when I started driving it there were even more pleasant surprises. Good fuel economy can be achieved with the automatic transmission, while the combination of retarder and Active Braking Assist provides a high level of safety – not just for the driver. For example, one evening I was driving on a road and there was a cyclist in front of me without lights and reflectors. The system detected him before I did and the truck automatically braked, enabling me to drive past the cyclist safely".
In the case of combined rail/road transport operations, the transport operator has to deploy vehicles with a view to achieving maximum productivity, which means limiting empty trips to a minimum. For this, the scheduling office of Spiz Trasporti applies the triangulation method to the trucks, thereby often enabling the driver to remain on the road for several days. "But that's not a problem, because the cab is spacious with good temperature control", confirms the driver.
Dumitru has determined that compared with other models, the Actros distributes the warm or cold air evenly. "You can set the temperature and activation time from your bunk", he explains happily. "I can check the truck completely from the driver's seat, the instrument panel displays the tyre pressure, and any faults – even burnt-out lights – or the next maintenance deadline are reported. The Actros also notifies me about the number of hours I've driven and how many hours I'm allowed to continue to drive. Yes, in fact the Actros is the best colleague I've ever had".
Photos: Michele Latorre
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