Strong truck, great message: the Actros 1851 of Marcel Witsch

Essen, 7.30 a.m. on Tuesday morning – the Ruhr region has already been awake for hours. Hafenstraße, in the north of the city, is well known in the region as the place where players from Rot-Weiss-Essen (RWE) football club have their home matches. The “stadium on Hafenstraße” has been the club’s home since the days of world champion Helmut Rahn. The glory days of this club, which has a rich history, are a thing of the past. But the fans still proudly display their RWE stickers on their cars. It’s just how it’s done here.

If you take the road further north, where the Rhine–Herne Canal flows underneath the A 42 motorway, you’ll find the hard work being done.

The trucks drive to quarries, concrete and gravel facilities and construction sites in the region. The vehicles also find themselves involved in long-distance transport. “I like the variety that we have here,” says the 32-year-old while he looks over the shipping documents. He sleeps in his truck once or twice a week, and on the other days he goes home in the evening. In the last few weeks in particular, he realised how much he enjoys working in long-distance transport. For one delivery, for example, he drove to Spain. On average, the trucks in the Sauerbaum fleet cover 130,000 kilometres per year.

The first journey today takes him towards the border with the Netherlands to Kamp-Lintfort, where Marcel – whose colleagues call “Kumpel” (“buddy”) – will load up 28 tonnes of sand from the Rhine. He will then drive the sand to the eastern part of the Ruhr region to a concrete facility. From there, the trip takes him further into the Sauerland region to pick up some limestone from a quarry, which needs to be brought to a construction site in Essen. He makes that trip twice in one day of work.

Marcel’s Actros 1851 is a standout truck even in the outstanding Sauerbaum fleet. Not only the more powerful motorisation, but also the rest of the equipment leaves nearly nothing to be desired. Marcel, together with fleet manager and truck fan Timo Sauerbaum, took care of the truck design himself. The result is certainly a sight to behold: the Actros bears the title of “Ruhrpott-Edition” (“Ruhr region edition”). The truck, painted in solid opal green, with light bar and other good-looking extras is decorated with corresponding symbols. The dumper trailer features the most famous buildings in Essen such as the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex and the Grugahalle, among others.

Identifying with home.

“The truck is an expression of our connection to the city of Essen,” says Timo Sauerbaum, who picked up the truck himself from the Mercedes‑Benz factory in Wörth. “It is a special part of our fleet.”

Each year, the company adds five or six new trucks, and most of them are different: Actros or Arocs, with or without all-wheel drive, with wing mirrors or MirrorCam. “For two years now, however, we haven’t bought any trucks without Sideguard Assist,” Sauerbaum notes. “Our drivers are supported by the system not only in urban traffic, but also when changing lanes on the motorway.”

Even more comfortable.

Marcel is now on the motorway, heading towards the Sauerland region. What does he think of his new Actros 1851? “Well, I used to drive the predecessor, but as an 1846,” Marcel says. The Multimedia Cockpit is what he likes best about the cab. “It’s modern and clearly laid out,” he says, pointing to the primary display, which he has set to the “Advanced” screen design.

Marcel has now exited the motorway and is taking the A-road to the Sauerland region. A bridge, a residential area – and suddenly mountains of limestone and an enormous mining area appear before the windscreen. “There’s so much of it here that you might think this is the source for the limestone half the streets of North Rhine-Westphalia,” says Marcel. The journey up to the quarry is no problem for the tractor unit. The transition from street to the more challenging terrain is more of an enjoyment for Marcel, as well – in his leisure time, he likes to take his all-terrain vehicle off the beaten path. The wheel loader shovels three scoops of limestone into the trough. Marcel glances at the clock – it’s time to head back to Essen.

Photos: Sebastian Vollmert
Video: PRH