Edition 1: the L.I.T. Group entrusts its trainees with an outstanding Actros

The “Edition 1” logo on the sun visor, the four additional LED headlights, leather steering wheel, the exclusive paint job and the illuminated Mercedes‑Benz star. In terms of coolness, the Actros Edition 1 is miles ahead of the pack. With countless additional special features such as the stainless-steel steps and stainless-steel gills in the side panels, you realise pretty quickly that this is not just another off-the-rack truck.

And yet the Edition 1 is also a true workhorse. Since 2018, it has been the flagship of the Mercedes‑Benz truck fleet. With systems such as the  Sideguard Assist and  Active Brake Assist 5, the truck offers functions that provide drivers with perfect support in their work.

For the L.I.T. Group as well – in the city of Brake in Lower Saxony – the Edition 1 plays a special role in the fleet of 1,100 trucks as the vehicle for the trainees. Be they drivers, dispatchers and mechanics – the trainees are the ones responsible for the Actros 1851. “It started when I got to come along to pick up the truck from the factory in Wörth,” says Alexander Thon, driver-to-be in his third year of training, who quickly became a fan of the Edition 1.

Eye-catcher with 375 kW.

The trainees of the L.I.T. Group even were even able to choose the design of the company branding on the truck. The result now contributes to an impressive appearance at the many training fairs, where L.I.T. likes to set up shop with the Actros. 

Today, Ramona Schmidt is on the road in the Edition 1. Four months ago, she passed the practical portion of the test to earn her CE driving licence. After years as an accountant, she followed her dream and started a second career as a truck driver. She began her training last year, and she still has two more years of training to go. “I want to learn everything from the ground up,” says Ramona and looks at her next trip on the tablet.

– Carsten Harms, head of the technology department and driver trainer at L.I.T.

Transferring responsibility early on.

“We have to make professional truck driving as attractive as possible. And make it clear to the trainees that we trust them early on and allow them to take on responsibility,” says L.I.T. spokesman Dietmar Graeber. “Adding the Edition 1 to the fleet as a trainee truck is just one of many measures.” Recruiting good drivers is becoming more and more difficult each year in the industry. It is not a new problem. L.I.T. offers potential drivers as much as possible. “We want to provide young people with technical training and personal development for their careers. It is our ambition to teach the trainees what they need to know to be able to practise qualified occupations during and after their training phase,” says Carsten Harms, head of the technology department and driver trainer at the L.I.T. Group. Jumbo truck with central-axle trailer or as a swap-body trailer, ultralight truck, low-line tractor unit, deep-bed articulated trailer or long truck – there are plenty of ways to use it for the drivers of the L.I.T. Group.

For Ramona, the need for drivers was like a calling. She “actually” knew when she was a child that she wanted to become a truck driver. Her father was a driver. Over the past few years, she sat in the passenger seat with friends until she was certain that she wanted to go through with the training programme. “I notice more and more that the job is the right one for me,” she says and grins while knocking on the head of her lucky charm, a stuffed toy duck sitting on the dashboard. She has now made it to the warehouse in Bremen. We’ll see where she’ll be off to tomorrow.

Photos: Sebastian Vollmert
Video: Sebastian Vollmert (editing: PRH)