Even though Volvo has snow a hamster can drive one of their heavy trucks, the Swedes know the work of a professional driver is no joke. According to a recent study they conducted and released to the public, over half of truck drivers in Europe have problems with back, neck and shoulder pain.
This is partly because people tense up while operating heavy equipment and also because of the long hours and sometimes tricky controls. That's why the new Dynamic Steering system for trucks has been devised, allowing drivers to do their jobs with minimal effort.
Saying "half of trucks drivers have problems" sounds like a cold statistic, so also brought us an example. 27-year old Henrik Gustafsson (photo above) started having problems five years ago. While driving long-haul transports in Norway, he developed a problem with a muscle behind his left shoulder. Henrik stopped driving long-haul because of this and started driving timber in the forest with his father. He also took up weight training, but the problem did not disappear completely. However, a year and a half ago Henrik got the opportunity to drive the new Volvo FH equipped with Volvo Dynamic Steering, in field tests. Since then his back has felt much better.
“The difference now is that I don’t have to be on edge and drive in a guarded way. With Volvo Dynamic Steering the truck is very stable,” says Henrik Gustafsson.
“Previously, I would tense up and steer the truck on small, winding roads. With Volvo Dynamic Steering the wheel is still, even when driving on bumpy roads when a force comes from the side that would normally shake the wheel. This is countered by the system, so I can sit and feel more relaxed as a driver. Today I have a very different position when I drive,” he explains.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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