The right chemistry: Christopher Heidfeld and his Actros Edition 2

Christopher Heidfeld is an early bird. At 4 O’clock this morning, his alarm goes off in his house in a small part of Saxony-Anhalt. Now, a few hours later, his blue Actros Edition 2 is parked here in the yard of his hauliers in the east of Hanover. He only got the truck a few weeks ago, and now the 1853 is going to be washed for the first time.

“It’s already done 10.000 kilometres,” says Christopher, known here as “Toffi” by everyone else. With a brush, sponge and bucket, the 35-year-old gets down to thoroughly cleaning the tractor unit. “You want the colour to look good in the photos, don’t you?” That’s right. You don’t generally see the special-edition model, which is limited to 400 vehicles, that often – and certainly not in gentian blue.

– Christopher Heidfeld, driver at Wedemeyer

Now junior boss Sebastian Wedemeyer is joining in. He had set up the surprise. “We want our drivers to be on the road in good trucks. When a special‑edition model like the Edition 2 comes comes out, that of course gets us interested.” But the trucks shouldn’t just look impressive, they should also be able to perform. “When we drive over the Kassel mountains, for example, we need the power – we almost always transport 40 tonnes.”

The colour blue is not typical for trucks in the Wedemeyer fleet. The other trucks are red. Christopher’s Actros is in blue due to a customer’s company colour. Christopher’s next tour will be to the chemical company in question that specialises in the production of ethanol and is also located here in the east of Hanover. His Actros pulls an aluminium trailer that can hold 34.000 litres.

Tanker truck for life.

Christopher has always driven tanker transports, with many years in international long-distance transport under his belt, often driving to England. For the past four years, he has been driving the ethanol tours mostly between locations in eastern Germany and Hanover. “That way I’m home more often, even during the week.” He can make good use of the time at home. His family, house and hobbies – for example, his classic tractor that he uses to go and make wood – have started playing a major role in his life.

On the premises of the ethanol manufacturer, Christopher raises his left index finger and greets a fellow driver. It’s not especially cosy here surrounded by tanks and railway tracks. “I know a lot of us drivers here. Filling or draining the tanks always takes quite a long while. Sometimes you get to have a little chat. I like it here a lot.”

Christopher’s career path was clear to him for a long time: “Ever since I can remember, I loved trucks.” His mother, however, tried to steer him in a different direction. “Her boyfriend drove a truck himself and would take me along on tour with him. She thought that I would then want to change my career plans,” he says and grins. “After that, I knew for sure that that’s what I wanted to do.” Since then, the industry has changed a lot. “The amount of traffic on the roads has risen extremely and we drivers don’t get to chat as much as we used to. Despite that, I have a nice job.” The Actros probably also plays its part in that.

Photos and video: Sebastian Vollmert