DRIVERS TALK ABOUT THEIR WORK

We are starting a series of posts where we will interview the drivers of our transport company TransPeltola, which is part of the Cargo Handling Group, and talk about road trasport in general. We will publish driver interviews on our company’s social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. In the articles, we will tell you about the drivers’ working days, various tasks and transport fleet. The drivers also talk about their free time hobbies and interests.

TransPeltola employs around 45 drivers. Some of TransPeltola’s drivers specialize in transportation in one specific sector. Some drivers want more variety and, in addition to container transportation, also e.g. transport glass and concrete elements. Some drivers focus on dangerous goods transportation. Tomi Niilo-Rämä, who we interviewed in this post, is one of TransPeltola’s bulk drivers and he only takes care of deliveries of bulk raw materials in containers to paper mills. The work of a bulk driver is very demanding, and the work is very independent. Especially discharging of products involves a lot of technology and many work stages that the driver must master.

So let’s start talking to Tomi Niilo-Rämä.

INTO THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY BY CHANCE

Tomi Niilo-Rämä started working as a driver at TransPeltola in the summer of 2018. Before that, Tomi had driven concrete trucks and a delivery trucks for about 4 years. The profession of a truck driver was not exactly Tomi’s childhood dream profession, but he came into the industry by chance. Tomi had originally planned to work in the construction industry. While working as a taxi driver, he got the idea that he could drive slightly larger vehicles also. At TransPeltola, Tomi has been driving bulk container transports with a semi-trailer combination all the time. On a typical working day, the container is often loaded with starch and the destination is a paper or cardboard mill somewhere in Finland.

BULK TRANSPORTS OPERATE 24/7: DAY OFF ON A WEEKDAY IS THE BEST

Tomi Niilo-Rämä and other TransPeltola bulk drivers work around the clock in two shifts. Bulk transports operate 24/7, because the factories, where we deliver bulk goods to, also operate around the clock. TransPeltola’s transport coordinator monitors the levels of the mills’ raw material silos and plans transports so that all the products are available in the customer’s silos at all times. Raw material consumption is not always constant and, for example, during production peaks, the product is delivered at a faster pace than normal.

Tomi thinks that having a day off on a weekday is the best part in shift work. On weekdays you can run arrands and rest. Tomi is well used to shift work: “I try to go to bed immediately after the evening/night shift. Sleeping is really important for recovery and coping with the job,” Tomi says.

SEMI-TRAILER COMBINATIONS AND LARGE VARIETY OF TRAILERS

All our trucks are semi-trailer combinations and we have both Volvos and Scanias in the company. There is a large variety of trailers and plenty to choose from when it comes to trailers.  Besides having regular straight container chassis, TransPeltola also has, for example, tipping container chassis, HCT combinations, glass inloaders and concrete element trailers (floatliners). What a variety of trailers! (Here you can read more on our fleet.) In bulk transports we use different unloading devices, pumps and compressed air to discharge bulk products from containers.

BULK DRIVER WORKS ON HIS OWN AND SINGS IN A TRUCK

When I asked Tomi if he thinks the job of a truck driver is lonely, Tomi laughs and says yes, and it suits him well. Tomi likes to do things on his own. In bulk transport, a driver works pretty much on his own. They drive long distances and unload containers independently. During the work shift, the only person a bulk driver might encounter is a factory gatekeeper or a control room employee. While driving, Tomi listens to heavy metal music, sports podcasts or talk shows. Tomi also admits to singing while driving. Awesome!

SPORTS AND MUSIC FILL HIS FREE TIME

Tomi is a sporty guy. He rides his bicycle to work almost every day of the year, also in the winter. Last year, Tomi ran his first two marathons: one half marathon in Finland and a full marathon in the stunning scenery of Prague. A half marathon in Koli National Park in Finland is planned for 2025. In addition to sports, Tomi also spends his free time with music. Tomi has played bass in several heavy metal bands.

Tomi Niilo-Rämä, truck driver

  • Started working as a driver for TransPeltola in 2018
  • Age: 40 years old
  • Hometown: Kouvola, Finland
  • Interesting work memory: Last year, during the port strike in Finland, we had to pick up cargo exceptionally from Estonia and from Germany. Ships were fully booked at the time, and once we had to stay overnight in Travemünde, Germany with my driving partner. We were surprised that not many people spoke English in Germany. Neither of us spoke German, but we were able to explore our way to the city center for dinner on the local bus. Of course we understood nothing about the German menus, but we still managed to order good food.

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