The Waldbach Logistics Group, based in Melle, tailors its personnel and routing planning specifically to the needs of drivers. The focus is on the compatibility of work and family – also in commercial goods transport. An example of the implementation of this approach is Sabrina-Maria Klocker-Klöpfer. The 39-year-old mother of three has been driving for the company for almost four years and benefits from flexible working conditions: a four-day week, a fixed truck and daily returns home are a fixed part of her daily work routine.
With the yellow-red MAN TGX to school
Her workday usually begins between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., after she has taken her eleven-year-old daughter to school with the truck. During school holidays she starts earlier to maintain the family organization.
By 7 p.m. at the latest, her workday ends. The truck – a yellow-red MAN TGX – is reserved for her. She has set it up according to her preferences and playfully calls the cab her “teddy bear hell.” A plush bear named Friedhelm often sits in the front passenger seat – unless her daughter is riding along.
40-tonner, in control of customers and colleagues
The appearance of a woman at the wheel of a 40-tonner still draws attention from customers and colleagues. According to Klocker-Klöpfer, the reactions are predominantly positive. However, she points to the necessity of being able to assert herself in a male-dominated environment. She developed her career aspiration early: her father was a long-haul trucker himself, and she often accompanied him
on trips. She earned her truck license in 2018, when her three children – now 11, 18 and 20 years old – were older. Her entry into the industry thus happened rather late.
Background: Waldbach Logistics Group
The Waldbach Logistics Group was founded in 2012 and employs around 170 employees. The medium-sized, owner-managed company operates at six locations – including Melle, Lübbecke, Preußisch Oldendorf and Crailsheim – with more than 60,000 square meters of logistics space. The range of services includes storage, including shelf-life (MHD), batch and serial-number management, picking, packaging, shipping and returns logistics. All processes are certified to “Higher Level” for IFS, ISO 9001 and Bio.
For transport between the sites as well as to external customers, the sister company WTL Transport –
Logistik GmbH is responsible. The fleet comprises around 50 pulling units – from small vans to 40-tonne tractor-trailers. The offerings include full and partial loads as well as refrigerated, temperature-controlled, building-material and special transports. The Waldbach Logistics Group shows how modern logistics can be combined with flexible working models – also behind the wheel of a truck.
The company has long targeted investments in equipping its trucks to improve working conditions for drivers and to strengthen employee retention. LOGISTRA reports, for example, here on Thomas Grigo's new cab, which comes with a kitchen, microwave, sink, a comfortable bed, television, seating area, refrigerator and coffee machine, turning it into a mobile living room. His dachshund Gismo is also regularly aboard and benefits from his own spot
