A week on the road

The logistics industry was the natural choice for Benjamin Launokorpi, born and living on Kemiönsaari. In 1954 his maternal grandfather Bengt Ginström founded the transport company which his mother Birgitta now owns, Trans B. Ginström Ab Oy, and which he now works for. The routes differ from week to week, just like the type of goods. Benjamin usually moves between Skåne and Norrbotten in Sweden and in the southern part of Finland. We followed one of his typical work weeks.

Text: Anna Sand • Picture: Linda Svarfvar

Benjamin has driven the family company’s truck fulltime since 2015, after both education and compulsory military service were completed. – I studied logistics at the Vocational College in Närpiö and completed a combined academic and vocational education, he tells us.

For six years now he has been in charge of the 24 meter long vehicle combination, consisting of a freezer truck with double loading systems in two levels, with dividing walls for different temperature zones built by NTM in Närpiö. – I drive a lot of temperature controlled goods, but also all kinds of other goods. It can be electronics, paper or metal products, plants and much more, Benjamin continues.

This work week started on a Saturday evening with departure for Turku harbor to catch the ferry over to Stockholm, after a few hours of reloading at Scandic Trans’ terminal in Turku. On the other side of the Baltic Sea he started by unloading fresh vegetables in Stockholm, early on Sunday morning. – Sundays are usually quite calm. I had the opportunity to eat lunch with a few colleagues and could continue without stress down towards Halmstad, where I had an unloading time at a brewery on Monday morning, Benjamin says. I finished my work day on Sunday by watching TV and reading newspapers.

After an early unloading on Monday morning the journey continued towards Helsingborg. – I made it just in time – I had an unloading time at 9.00 and arrived at 8.55. Due to the restrictions I only got to back up and wait in the truck while the receiver unloaded the goods. It is quite normal nowadays in Sweden, he adds, and on the next location it was the same procedure.

That was in Malmö, where Benjamin unloaded goods consisting of candy and chocolate at 10.30. – After that I called the office in Mustasaari to ask if there was anything I could pick up on the way back up. Our transport manager Fredrik Lång took care of that and I was able to collect products that were not supposed to be loaded until the following day, Benjamin continues. The next unloading place, outside Kristianstad, closed for the day at 16.00 and Benjamin arrived at 15.58. – It was too late and there was no one there to receive the goods. I had no choice but to wait on the parking lot outside the factory until the next morning.

On Tuesday morning, after unloading at 7.00, it was time to head back to Helsingborg for loading at a foodstuff terminal. – By showing them my forklift licence I was given the opportunity to perform the loading myself and then I was able to place the goods in the exact right order.

In the afternoon his next loading was booked for 14.00 in Vaggeryd, where a big part of the loading space was filled by new TV’s. – Before that I had the time to eat a warm lunch along the road – that is not always the case, and often you just grab something out of the truck’s refrigerator.

After loading all of the TV’s he noticed that there still was free loading space in the truck, and after a quick call to the office Benjamin got to drive to Aneby for a final loading there just before 4 pm, before it was time to head back to Stockholm. Along the way he made another stop in Mjölby at Motel & Restaurang Eat to take a shower. – These kinds of opportunities are highly appreciated by us drivers, Benjamin smiles.

When we reach him in the forenoon on Wednesday he is onboard Viking Grace, on his way back to Turku. – Yesterday became a full workday – the driving time can be no more than ten hours two days a week, all other days can be at the most nine hours. The workday can in total be 15 hours at the most, and yesterday I got up to 14, while the actual driving time was just below ten hours.

When he reaches Turku, reloading in Scandic Trans’ own terminal awaits, and then he continues to deliver goods on the Finnish side. -– I know I will be unloading in Tampere at 12 on Thursday and from there I am continuing north towards Mänttä and Vaajakoski. The last unloading place will be at the big Metsä factory in Äänekoski. After that the truck and trailer should be empty and the rest of the workweek open, Benjamin concludes.

Saturday evening: Departure from Turku harbor for Stockholm Sunday morning: Unloading in Stockholm, thereafter departure for Halmstad

Monday:

7.00 Unloading brewery goods in Halmstad, departure for Helsingborg 9.00 Unloading in Helsingborg 10.30 Unloading in Malmö 12.00 Loading in Malmö 13.00 Loading in Vellinge 16.00 Arrival in Kristianstad

Tuesday:

7.00 Unloading in Kristianstad, departure for Helsingborg 10.00 Loading in Helsingborg 14.00 Loading in Vaggeryd 15.40 Loading in Aneby, departure for Stockholm

Wednesday:

Departure with Viking Grace for Turku 20.30 Reloading at the terminal in Turku harbor

Thursday:

10.30 Unloading in Tampere 12.00 Unloading in Mänttä 14.30 Unloading in Vaajakoski 15.30 Unloading in Äänekoski

Vaasa

Jyväskylä

Mänttä

Tampere

OSLO

Göteborg

Jönköping Stockholm

Linköping Nyköping

Halmstad

Malmö Ystad Kristianstad Turku HELSINKI

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