A trio of MAN 4×2 box trucks with a crew cab, all powered by a 6.9 liter turbodiesel and used for the same job, pavement marking. MAN is an old German truck and engine manufacturer, majority owned by Traton, the Volkswagen Group’s heavy truck division.
Here’s a 2019 MAN TGL 12.250. The numbers in the model designation reflect the truck’s GVM-rating in metric tons and the DIN-hp rating, respectively.
Setting the MAN TGE apart, since that’s merely a rebadged Volkswagen Crafter, the TGL is the truck maker’s lightest model.
What’s Cookin’ Doc? The yellow Borum Industri unit, made in Denmark, is the preheater for the thermoplastic material, used for the line marking.
Previously, I caught this 2016 MAN TGM 18.290 crew cab truck, owned by the same company. Its GVM rating is 19 metric tons, actually. The TGM is clearly the bigger brother of the TGL.
It was towing a tandem axle trailer for transporting the line marking machine, which is visible in the background. Behind it, judging by its grille, is a 2014-2019 Renault Master flatbed truck (you see, the Nissan NV400 and Opel~Vauxhall Movano are essentially the same as the Renault).
The Heijmans company also opted for a MAN, back in 2013 (with a roof spoiler, on top of that).
More specifically, a TGM 15.290. The black boxes are tool boxes. And just like the other two, the Heijmans truck also has a trailer coupling.
The TGL was at work in the parking lot of our upgraded, compact ferry terminal (for cyclists and pedestrians only) and marina. The big boat is there permanently, it’s a nice place for enjoying a meal and boat drinks. I’ll drink to that!
Wow, that’s a huge cab. If it fits 6 the truck really should have MEN on the front. Or PERSONS..
And thermoplastic lane marking, never heard of that before. Around here I think it would get scraped off by the snow plow.
I didn’t know about the thermoplastic material either. Luckily I could read the name of the manufacturer on the yellow unit, otherwise I would have thought it was just a big tank for white paint.
Thermoplastic has been around for a while but it is pricey. It is a good fit for some applications, such as what Johannes saw in a parking lot. It also works well for the stop bars at signalized intersections as well as for the white lines dividing up the lanes at such intersections.
For lane markings in other places, thermoplastic just isn’t as practical. And, yes, it is susceptible to snow plows but less vulnerable than is paint. Some places have also shaved the pavement down to allow the thermoplastic (or tape or paint) to lay in the recess so plows skim over the top.
Aha! Thanks, always good to read more info about a subject from an insider.
You see these companies/guys working on our roads all the time, without really knowing what they are doing. I had no idea what was going on in the cargo compartment, with doors on all sides, of such box trucks.
It’s used quite a bit here, mainly at intersections and crosswalks. It’s brighter than paint, and stays that way. And since we rarely have snow, and no snow plows to speak of when we do, it’s not an issue in that regard.
The problem with the thermoplastic is that when wet it is very slippery compared to paint, at least the stuff they use around here. It can really show tires with poor wet grip but even great tires will slip as you cross it under strong acceleration.
I haven’t seen it in a while, but FedEx used to have what I would guess is a 8-9 passenger cab truck or two (?) as the truck driver training tool. IIRC, it was an International. The “cab” had 3 doors on each side.