The dilapidated state of the German infrastructure is not only detrimental to the German economy. As a transit country, it affects the flow of goods throughout Europe. Gruber Logistics also has to contend with this on a daily basis and it is particularly difficult for large and heavy goods transport.
Gruber Logistics professional lorry driver René Wobst at work in the driver’s cab
To illustrate the current situation of German infrastructure, Der Spiegel has written a report describing the day-to-day work of Gruber Logistics’ two professional lorry drivers Uwe Schramm and René Wobst. Although the state of the infrastructure is a regular source of concern for both of them, the public’s image of professional drivers has also changed in recent years: ‘They used to be more appreciated,’ René Wobst states in the Spiegel report.
There is also a link between the reputation of professional drivers and the state of the infrastructure. One example: If a motorway bridge can no longer be used or the completion of a construction site is not met as planned after all, trucks have to take detours through adjacent towns and villages. This increasingly leads to a negative perception among the local population, for which the lorry driver can do nothing, but often suffers the annoyance.
Holger Dechant, Managing Director Unit Heavy & Special Transport Germany, comes to the following conclusion about the expansion of German road, rail and water infrastructure: ‘We missed the boat, friends.’
Broken infrastructure and cumbersome authorisations
Holger Dechant, Managing Director Unit Heavy & Special Transport Germany
Dilapidated motorways, limited rail capacity and a lack of investment in the expansion of inland shipping make every large and heavy transport operation a logistical feat. In addition, road transport involves applying for separate permits in each individual federal state, which Gruber Logistics routinely obtains but which delay the entire logistics process.
However, Gruber Logistics does not bury its head in the sand here, but maintains a regular dialogue with Autobahn GmbH in order to draw attention to the current problems and to work together to improve the situation. Pointing fingers at each other doesn’t help anyone – the current problems can only be solved together.
Incidentally, in contrast to road transport, the aforementioned licences are no longer required for both rail and inland waterways through several federal states. This is why Dechant emphasises: ‘We are logistics specialists! In addition to transport by lorry, we also check whether the goods can be transported by inland waterway vessel or rail.’ Rail transport in particular has the positive effect of reducing CO2 emissions when transporting large and heavy goods. The only question is whether the customer will pay for it, says Dechant.
If you would like to find out more about this topic, you can read the entire report either in the current issue of Spiegel magazine or here at Spiegel Online.
We are delighted that Spiegel has shed light on the state of Germany’s infrastructure by describing the everyday lives of our two Gruber Logistics professional lorry drivers. On the one hand, this will hopefully contribute to a greater understanding of this systemically relevant occupational group and, on the other, increase the pressure on decision-makers to accelerate the necessary investments in infrastructure.
