Trucking Milestones: 1981 – a 1626 transports problematic cargo
Series: Trucking Milestones
In 1981 “Transport” portrayed Talke, the chemical logistics specialist and its Mercedes‑Benz fleet. Then the company had already achieved a great deal – but there was still a lot to come.
In 1981 Talke was already operating 170 trucks. 40 years later the company’s fleet comprises 2600 vehicles.
It was 1981 and the new President of the USA was Ronald Reagan. He was a man from a poor background who had worked as a pool attendant before his Hollywood breakthrough, only to then reach the very pinnacle of his career as a politician. In that same year “Transport” reported on Talke, a German haulage company – which had two things in common with Ronald Reagan: constant change and a steep rise to success.
When Alfred Talke founded his company in 1947, he only transported coal. But he soon realised that the demand for chemical products was growing. Talke changed focus, expanded and developed special vehicles for transporting liquid chemicals and powders. Business boomed. When the report appeared in “Transport” in 1981, the company from Hürth near Cologne had seven branches and 170 trucks.
The fleet comprised only trucks from Mercedes‑Benz including many 1626 vehicles which were equipped as tanker and silo trucks as well as as platform vehicles and which travelled the length and breadth of Europe. Often with problematic freight on-board, they had to meet the most challenging demands – both with regard to safety and time: “90 percent of our orders are time-critical. That means the goods must be delivered on time,” said Alfred Talke at the time.
The business concept was a success: today the company, headed by the founder’s grandson, Alfred A. Talke, employs more than 4000 employees at 72 locations and is one of the world’s leading logistic companies for the chemical and petrochemical industry. The fleet now includes 2600 trucks. There was however no demand for change in this area: today the company still relies on the brand with the star.
Photos: Daimler AG
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8 comments
Ich finde diese historischen Geschichten immer mega toll hatte damals am Parkplatz beim bayerwerk mal beim vorbei laufen mit einem Fahrer gesprochen danach wollte ich auch unbedingt auf den Bock!
Ich finde diese historischen Geschichten immer mega toll hatte damals am Parkplatz beim bayerwerk mal beim vorbei laufen mit einem Fahrer gesprochen danach wollte ich auch unbedingt auf den Bock!
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