by David Couliau

The beginning of a road trip and a career

Today is the first day of IRU’s We Love The Road project and I met my first road lover, Yamin from Starfret, at his usual starting time, three in the morning.

“I discovered France, the road, the pleasure of talking to people you don’t know.” As he left Lieusaint, a French village forty kilometers south of Paris, in a shiny new black Renault truck, Yamin enthusiastically explained how his passion for the road started during a short truck training course in the early 90s, after which he quit his job at Citroën and has been driving ever since.
 

High-tech driving all over France

As the sun started rising, in Bourg-en-Bresse, Yamin quickly unloaded half of his truck thanks to a small army of pallet trucks. Technology has made his job easier since he first began working. For example, his new air suspensions make unlocking the truck’s trailer much less physical than before. 
When he began, he drove internationally and now mostly goes around France. He drove off to Evian to pick up bottled water to take back to Paris. Traveling such distances is now less exhausting thanks to automatic gearboxes. Because most trucks have between 12 and 24 speeds, that means a lot less gear changing for him. “Everything is done for the driver’s comfort.”

Saving time and lives with e-trucks

Paperwork used to really slow him down at borders and tollgates, but the fact that everything is now digital saves him a lot of time and, as he can get sleepy at night, Tachometers warn him to take breaks. “It’s better to take your time.” Year after year, modern innovations have certainly had a huge impact on Yamin’s experience of the road.