In the concrete business: Manuel Spindler and his Arocs

It was still dark when Manuel Spindler started up his Arocs 4148 early in the morning in the small Upper Austrian municipality of Diersbach. The 39-year-old's day begins just after 5 a.m., and less than an hour later, he is already sitting behind the wheel of his concrete mixer. His destination lies just a few kilometres away: the concrete plant belonging to the company Eder in Aurolzmünster in the Innkreis district. Here, he reverses his truck to park under the powerful mixing tower and picks up his freight. It takes just under 10 minutes. Up to eight cubic metres of ready mixed concrete flow into the drum of the four-axle vehicle, depending on the construction site. This is usually foundation or slab concrete but sometimes fair-faced concrete or frost-resistant concrete as well.

On this occasion, Manuel's cargo consists of flowing concrete, which is mainly used for floors. Manuel fetches the delivery note from the office. He then uses a hose and water from his truck’s 650-litre tank to remove the many fine concrete splashes that inevitably form on the vehicle, even with the most careful filling. “They're coming away nicely now,” says the Upper Austrian with a smile. “If you were to leave it a couple of hours, it'd be a completely different story. By then, the splashes would've hardened like stone and the only thing you'd be able to do is laboriously scrape them off yourself.” And with a grin, he adds: “And that's something I want to spare both myself and the vehicle!”

No time to hang about!

The construction product on board is destined for large construction sites in several locations. Manuel has often delivered concrete here over recent weeks and months. He doesn't have time to hang about – the clock is ticking before the concrete will no longer be fit for processing. The cement-sand-gravel mixture should be installed no later than one and a half hours after filling, and Manuel knows from experience to expect to wait at construction sites.

– Manuel Spindler, driver at the earthworks and transport company Weidinger

Two other mixer trucks are also waiting in the queue ahead of Manuel's Arocs. This gives us a bit of time to ask a few questions: When did he get his HGV licence, for example: “When I was just 18,” replies Manuel. “My father advised me to get it along with a car driver's licence in order to have a second professional string to my bow. It was advice which I remain very grateful for to this day. I did a joinery apprenticeship, but I soon moved behind the wheel and have now been on the road as a truck driver for 16 years.” He's never regretted the move. “I couldn't have asked for a better job,” he says.

The Arocs? A dream.

And how does he like his vehicle? “It's a dream,” says Manuel with a smile. “I’ve always driven Mercedes, first an SK and then an Actros. However, the new Arocs is extremely well equipped and once again is in a league of its own when it comes to comfort and convenience. And the MirrorCam  really helps with safety. When the sun shines on the camera, the display simply adapts. The image gets darker and I still get a top quality view. And the same is true when the complete opposite is the case: when I drive into a dark hall, the display image gets brighter. It's great!”

Photos: Sebastian Freiler
Video: Peak Motion GmbH