Inside Nagel

Dream job trucker -
On the road with Max

THE TRUCK DRIVER AT NAGEL-GROUP BRINGS FRESH GOODS AND A GOOD MOOD

Passion for the job: Axel Makus, known as „Max“, is living his childhood dream in the driver's cab. The Borgholzhausen native is one of the Nagel-Group's truck drivers, who are on the road every day with around 7,000 trucks. And that's not all: with his cheerful, communicative manner, he spreads a good mood wherever he goes. We accompanied the likeable family man on his tour for a day.

If you want to describe Max, as everyone calls the 62-year-old, then these words come to mind: Globetrotter, cheerful, philanthropist. Three character traits that particularly qualify the truck driver at Nagel-Group. He developed his passion for the job at a young age, when he accompanied his brother-in-law's father on his truck tours during the school vacations. „When I was 14 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a truck driver one day,“ says Max.

The feeling of freedom on the road has always appealed to him. „No one is looking over my shoulder in the cab. Driving through nature and meeting people - that fascinated me.“ After successfully completing school, he trained as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician, did his military service and then drove for smaller haulage companies. Max has now been working as an LWK driver for almost 40 years, including more than 30 years with the Nagel-Group.

At the beginning of his career, he drove long distances to the Black Forest or Bavaria - today he is on the road for the Nagel-Group on day trips in East Westphalia. His freight: food, raw materials and packaging materials.

Get up early, work thoroughly

He gets up early, rides his bike to the branch in Borgholzhausen - by then it is usually 5 o'clock. The vehicle is already loaded at this time due to the limited daily schedule. Before the winter journey begins, he washes his vehicle, as it has to be cleaned due to the road salt it has been covered in over the last few days. „We deliver food, so we want to arrive at the customer with clean vehicles,“ says Max. The intensive care of his tractor unit reflects his attention to detail. „I treat it as if it were my own car. I have to feel comfortable in it, as I spend most of my time on the road.“

Max also benefits from technical progress. „Over the course of time, the tractors have been further developed, they have become more modern,“ he emphasizes. Functions such as cruise control and lane assist contribute significantly to road safety. Max particularly appreciates the modern innovation of the stationary air conditioning system, which he has often used on hot days during traffic jams.

Behind the wheel: A day on tour

After a safety check on the truck and a little paperwork, Max finally sets off at 6 am. In a refrigerated trailer with fresh goods, deliveries are due for several daily customers. He is mainly transporting sausage and poultry today.

At his first stop, he unloads part of the freight after opening the trailer doors and maneuvering the truck to the customer's unloading gate. The goods are received, where the delivery documents are checked. This ensures that the goods are actually destined for the company and that the order is correct. The truck driver at Nagel-Group pushes pallet after pallet out of his truck using a pallet truck, employees on site check the delivery and place it in the warehouse. Max uses the digital delivery bill with QR code scan and digital signature, which is not only environmentally friendly but also speeds up the delivery process considerably. After completing the order, he still reaches for pen and paper, as all the details of the delivery still have to be documented by hand. „I'm really not a fan of this paperwork, but what must be done must be done,“ he admits.

After six stops, the passionate professional driver slowly but surely heads back home. He arrives at around 4 p.m. after driving a good 300 kilometers. One last visit to his colleagues in the goods receiving department, then the truck is cleaned and prepared for the night driver. Will he take his hands off the wheel at the weekend? „But no,“ he laughs. He looks forward to his car and motorcycle at the weekend. He also enjoys spending time with his family.