Sandro Kollan, logging truck company from Brandenburg

Orange glow on Germany's roads

"Fuhrmann Sandro Kollan" is the name of a company from the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district in north-western Brandenburg that deals exclusively with timber transportation. The company has earned a good reputation not only for the outstanding quality of its services, but also for the appearance of its elaborately designed trucks. Our freelancer Christoph Büch set off from Berlin to visit the company's boss Sandro Kollan to find out a few details about his company. Here is his report:

If there is an orange glow on the road in the distance, it may well be that one of Sandro Kollan's striking timber trucks is approaching. The company's vehicles immediately catch the eye with their bright color and their recognition value is extremely high.

TGX 33.480 of the latest MAN generation in the outfit of haulier Sandro Kollan. It has not yet been decided whether or not to fit a bull bar.

The haulage company based in Alt-Ruppin was founded in 2007 by boss and namesake Sandro Kollan, initially with a business partner. They parted ways in 2016 and the fleet has since grown to 17 trucks, with the MAN brand clearly dominating. No wonder, when you learn that Sandro Kollan completed his training as a truck mechatronics technician at the regional branch of the Bavarian commercial vehicle manufacturer. Due to the increase in orders, two second-hand Mercedes Actros have been added to the fleet.

Together they wait for the next job: TGS 26.500 and TGX 33.480 in orange on the Kollan site.

When equipping the vehicles, Kollan relies on manual transmissions and hydraulic axles. Manual gearboxes are no longer so easy to come by. In the current MAN TG 3, only the 480 hp diesel can be combined with a manual ZF gearbox. Most other manufacturers have to pass anyway, as they almost exclusively offer automatic transmissions. Nevertheless, the 480 hp engine impresses with its decent torque, even if it should not be concealed that the complex, electronically controlled technology does not always function smoothly. However, these problems also exist with other manufacturers. Although the vehicles are purchased with maintenance and warranty contracts, breakdowns really hurt in a small business, and there are no replacement vehicles, especially for timber transporters with their special superstructures.

Fuhrmann Sandro Kollan's trucks are at home on the country roads of Brandenburg and throughout Germany.

Another feature of the Kollan fleet is the large cabs, in which the colleagues can also spend the night, as they are often on the road all over Germany. There is no telematics system that can be used to locate and navigate the vehicles via GPS. Sandro Kollan: "I don't want the drivers to feel controlled. They work independently and that works very well". This means that a colleague can sometimes finish work early on Fridays and catch up on work on Saturdays. Some customers also allow unloading at the weekend.

Heavy equipment for heavy loads: MAN TGS 26.500 as a semitrailer rig with loading crane for timber transport.

The company "Belziger Fahrzeugbau" (BEFA) is responsible for the superstructures. Their quality has proven itself in everyday use. The boss's verdict: "Robust and well thought-out design". Even after ten years in tough everyday use, the superstructures are still in good shape.

The logging trucks also have to cope with soft forest soil: MAN TGS loading tree trunks. Lettering on the sun visor: Offroad Society.

Kollan's customers include forest owners, sawmills, timber dealers as well as pallet, paper and chipboard manufacturers. This diversity and the cooperation with other timber transporters make it possible to keep empty runs to a minimum.

Sandro Kollan's green truck, a MAN TGS 26.440, confirms the rule that there can be exceptions. The vehicle is the oldest in the fleet and can score with 1.4 million kilometers driven.

The extremely good working atmosphere, to which the boss contributes with his uncomplicated and friendly manner, is very pleasing. Sandro Kollan immediately makes you feel at home.

Fully loaded on the way to the wood processing plants in Baruth: MAN TGS 26.500 from the Kollan fleet.

However, running such a business is also very demanding and time-consuming, because in addition to the technical support of the vehicles and the frequent absence of drivers, for example due to vacation or illness, the increasingly demanding office work also has to be done. This makes it all the more astonishing how calmly the boss copes with this workload. He has my greatest respect!

Sandro Kollan is delighted with the gift he gave himself: a 1994 Volvo F 16 that has more than two million kilometers on the clock and still looks almost like new. Have fun with this gem, Sandro!

Fortunately, Sandro Kollan recently fulfilled his heart's desire and bought himself a real classic: A Volvo F 16, built in 1994, with a displacement of 16 liters. The vehicle was initially registered in Sweden and covered its first million kilometers there. It then went across the continent to Sicily to cover the next 1.2 million kilometers on the Mediterranean island. It came to Sandro Kollan a few years ago via a Dutch commercial vehicle dealer. After thorough rust removal and cleaning, it is now back in good condition without being over-restored. You can definitely see its busy past life. The sun rises when the 16 liters wake up and the turbocharger whistles. Sandro is delighted with the performance of the old truck. The only problem is the difficulty in obtaining spare parts. That's why the F 16 is being spared.

So, fans and friends: if it lights up orange on the road, look closely! It could be a timber transport rig from Sandro Kollan. I, for one, was thrilled when I saw one of the orange MANs from Alt-Ruppin for the first time in 2022 near the town of Baruth.

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