Father and son Plovie, truck drivers

TVH Equipment has been a true family business for over 50 years. This is especially evident at our headquarters in Waregem, where multiple generations from the same family often work together. Such is the case with father Rik (61) and son Kjel (37) Plovie: both work every day as truck drivers, giving their best. We visited them for an inspiring chat.

Hello Rik, have you always been a driver?
Rik: "No, I started in construction at age 14. For 20 years, I installed scaffolding around churches undergoing renovations. Then, I drove a cement mixer. However, that job had some drawbacks: it was highly weather-dependent, and the winter months were very slow. So, at a certain point, I bought a tractor. I worked for several transport companies until Bernard De Meester asked me in 2000 to join TVH. I was trained for 14 days by another driver and then allowed to hit the road alone."

You've been working for TVH Equipment for 23 years. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Rik: "I find it very interesting to learn about all the different machines. Once you master the basic principles, you quickly become familiar with the more specific elements. We figure out most things ourselves, but drivers also exchange a lot of information among themselves."

Kjel, how did you end up at TVH Equipment?
Kjel: "I was a professional soldier in Leopoldsburg but wanted to work closer to home. I learned to drive trucks in the army and converted my military license to a civilian one. That's how I got into this. I started here as a freelancer in early 2017."

Rik: "When Kjel was about 15, he often rode along with me during the holidays. I would sometimes ask him to move my truck or load or unload something."

Kjel: "During that time, I also did a holiday job at TVH as a yard worker. So I was used to working with machines and already quite familiar with the company."

Rik, did you immediately think it was a good idea for your son to become your colleague at TVH Equipment?
Rik: "Certainly, but I somewhat insisted he first obtain his Certificate of Professional Competence. This way, he had the necessary knowledge in areas such as legislation, accounting, personnel, collective labor agreements, and insurance to run a transport company. Only then did I inquire if he could start at TVH Equipment."

What advice would you give to other families considering working together?
Rik: "We spend most of the day alone on the road. But we see each other much more often than before and talk every day. Because we work for the same company, we understand each other very well. Kjel also knew exactly what this job entailed beforehand. I don't see any downside to us being colleagues. On the contrary, it has only strengthened our bond."

Kjel, what do you find most interesting about this job?
Kjel: "That I am constantly busy, and time flies. I always find myself in different situations, and there is a lot of variety in the machines I load and unload. It took at least a year to know them all, and new ones keep coming."

Has the job itself changed much over the years?
Rik: "There is much more control by the police, customs, and Vlabel, the Flemish road inspection. There are also many small posts everywhere to limit speed. There are just a lot more rules: weight restrictions, one-way streets, circulation plans. It certainly hasn't made our job any easier."

Kjel: "In cities like Bruges, Ghent, and Mechelen, you need a special permit to enter, and you must avoid school zones at certain hours. This is monitored by camera surveillance, and there are hefty fines. Everything in the transport sector has become very expensive. The government charges us more than ever with various costs."

What does a typical workday look like for you?
Rik: "I usually start at 5 AM." Kjel: "I leave between 3 and 4 AM. On average, we do two runs a day, but sometimes we have to deliver or pick up machines at nine different locations. It's really an art to load your truck optimally. Ideally, you place the deliveries you need to unload first at the back. But at the same time, you need to distribute the heavier machines evenly across your truck. It's often a huge puzzle."

Rik: "Especially for a starting truck driver, that's not easy at all."

Are there specific challenges associated with your job?
Rik: "Traffic aggression is certainly not decreasing. If I need to maneuver briefly on the road, there are always a few people who feel the need to hurry and challenge. They also don't understand that we naturally drive slower than cars. And if we have to unload in a busy spot, we always get in someone's way."

Kjel: "In big cities, you have to be very careful even at night. In Ghent, a few drunk students once jumped on my trailer, which was certainly dangerous. But I've also had to unload in the middle of nowhere in a forest, in pitch darkness. We really experience all sorts of things."

Rik: "Two barking dogs on a farm, that's about the scariest thing I've encountered. I didn't dare get out of my truck."

Kjel, has your father taught you certain things?
Kjel: "Especially how to work more efficiently. He showed me, for example, how to secure or detach the machines without wasting unnecessary time and energy. In the beginning, I would sometimes carelessly drive into a small street. I've learned that sometimes it's better to scout on foot first; it's not always easy to reverse."

Rik: "We must first and foremost ensure our deliveries reach customers on time. This often involves quite a bit of stress, especially in the morning."

And Rik, has Kjel taught you anything?
Rik: "Nowadays, we no longer work with delivery notes but register everything with an app on our phone. I'm honestly not great with that. Sometimes I have to call Kjel to help me out."

As drivers, you often have personal contact with customers. How do you manage to leave a positive impression?
Rik: "We are indeed somewhat the business card of the company. I find it very important to have a short chat with the customer. I usually drive around Waregem and know a lot of people here."

Kjel: "If I notice that I am a bit behind schedule, I always try to inform the customer in time. If he is not present, I let him know where I left the machine. I often have to explain how to charge or operate the device. Sometimes a customer calls me if they encounter a particular problem. That's all part of the job."

Finally, do you also work with mechanics in your free time?
Kjel: "Last year, I bought a motocross bike for myself and my 7-year-old son. Since then, we regularly train in a field in Komen-Waasten."

Rik: "I was initially against it because I once had a severe motorcycle accident. But I used to be a serious motorcycle enthusiast too."

And so it turns out how much you have in common. Thank you very much for this interview!