Lars and David deliver to the customers of a Mecklenburg furniture manufacturer with their Actros

Shortly after seven in the morning the roads in north-west Mecklenburg are still quite quiet. The day hasn't really started yet. At the Palmberg, Schönberg, where the furniture manufacturer, also called Palmberg, is located, people are already busy at work.

It's surprisingly quiet in the factory buildings, although cutting, sanding, veneering and assembly are done on a major scale. Production of office furniture is carried out on hydraulic, digitally controlled manufacturing lanes. Many operations are completely automatic and the staff just check, regulate and optimise the procedure. This also means that it is only at the back near the loading ramps that the individual parts of an order are brought together and assembled for the customer order in question.

Outside, agile electric caterpillars manoeuvre the green and white PALMBERG semitrailers to the loading bay. The logistics experts have meticulously computer-planned what goes into which semitrailer in which order and have given this to the packers in the form of coloured sketches. This means that the order of loading is clear, the best possible use is made of the load surface, and the driver teams have an easier job later when unloading. “With the loading plans we could find any consignment in our sleep,” Lars Nithammer assures us.

After the load has been completed, Lars Nithammer and David Mintzlaff, two of the total of 95 PALMBERG drivers, take over the semitrailer. A typical working day for them generally begins at the gatekeeper's lodge. There they are given their papers and told at which gate their semitrailer is waiting for them, packed and ready. Often, when they have a really long trip ahead of them, Lars and David start off in the night with their Actros.

That's not problem for the two of them: they're a well-coordinated team and they've been driving for the company for more than five years. David was basically born into the profession. “My father has been driving trucks for more than 35 years and as a child I was allowed to go with him. When I finished school I trained to be a vehicle mechatronics technician and then I switched straight away to behind the wheel,” says David, who was born and raised in this area.

Four coordinated hands.

After they have checked the papers, they couple up the semitrailer and enter the delivery address into the navigation system. Today for a change they are going somewhere quite local, to Lübeck. A hospital, a clinic and a public authority are on the list. An easy run, and when the trip is over the weekend will begin. They don't often stay in the region. They mainly drive to the Ruhr district and to south Germany. Often they travel further afield too, across Europe.

– Lars Nithammer, driver for PALMBERG

PALMBERG drivers always work in pairs as a well-coordinated team. “After all, we deliver complete sets of office furniture which we assemble directly on the customers' premises. Regardless of how fit you are – you can't manage the assembly on your own.” With two drivers taking the driving in turns, it is of course easier to manage the rest times. Plus: “To guide you and help with navigation, your workmate is very important,” Lars explains.

David and Lars's favourite route is to Switzerland. “Life is completely different there, it's a very different mentality. The people there are really friendly and open – nobody hoots if you have to pull up by the roadside,” says David, who is now at the wheel.

The enthusiasm that the two have for their profession is partly due to their vehicle, an Actros 1842 with a GigaSpace cab. “When two people are travelling, you couldn't wish for a better cab,” says Lars, who is keeping an eye on the route in the co-driver's seat. And David adds: “The ambient lighting alone and those super-comfortable bunks – travelling is almost as cosy as being at home.”

Photos: Sebastian Vollmert
Video: Martin Schneider-Lau