Scania G 500 XT ready to handle tough assignments
22 JULY 2020
Czech driver Tomáš Tyle is well prepared to handle challenging assignments in his Scania G 500 8x4/4. The truck is equipped with loader crane out of the ordinary for a maximum lifting capacity of 18.2 tonnes and a full outreach of 32.5 metres.
The company that he drives for, AMK Trans, was founded in 2015 to transport concrete products but has since expanded to other deliveries as well, such as building materials and water tanks.
Operating hydraulic cranes
25-year old Tyle already has five years‘ experience of operating hydraulic cranes and can skilfully swing the equipment in confined spaces. “This job is a lot about experience, although, of course, you also need certain skills.”
“The hardest part of my job is negotiating with people, because sometimes they have completely impossible expectations and I need to explain why they simply aren’t possible to meet. Often enough, the load cannot be lifted in one go, which incurs an added cost, and bickering with the customer about price many times requires a superhuman effort.“
He has been driving the Scania truck less than one year. “I’d never driven Scania before and that was something I’d longed for. Before I drove a truck with a manual gearshift and I was a bit apprehensive about how it would perform in precision manoeuvring. But any worries were completely unfounded.”
“The 500 hp engine is unreal”
The Scania XT truck is equipped with a clutch on demand for situations that require low-speed manoeuvring.
“I’ve only had to use a clutch pedal once when I was in muddy terrain. I quickly became accustomed to fast and smooth automatic gearshifting so I don’t miss the manual at all. I also like this truck because of how quiet it is. The 500 hp engine is unreal, it pulls like a locomotive even when fully loaded. It’s a pleasure to drive and I take good care to maintain it properly.”
