Asphalt-Cowboys

Trucker Piet is on the road on hot pavement. Normally, the 51-year-old doesn't lose his cool so quickly, because he has been on the road for over 30 years. But at the moment Piet is working as a concrete driver in Emsland and shuffles from construction site to construction site - sometimes a really nasty drudgery. Carrier Marten is well on time. It's a special day for him: the 29-year-old is working with a courier service for large special freight for the first time. He has to load pallets - a round 20 kilos each! From Lake Tegernsee to the Adriatic Sea: Transport entrepreneur Andreas starts on his favorite tour. The route is very familiar to the asphalt cowboy. But this time, despite all the routine, not everything goes according to plan.

In this episode of the new documentary series, "Asphalt Cowboy" Marten has to struggle with the adversities of everyday life as a truck driver. Long waiting times and an acute lack of parking spaces are just two of the many problems he has to deal with. Mighty pressed for time, the trucker tries to make up for lost time on the way to the next loading point. But whether this is enough to complete his workload is another matter. Driver colleague Andreas is now on the road in bella Italia. There, he uses a delay to pursue his favorite pastime: the meticulous truck wash! But the next morning, Andreas has to step on the gas again and bring an express freight over the Brenner Pass. Meanwhile, trucker Piet was able to escape the concrete monkeys on the construction site and after a long time has managed to get hold of a long-distance tour again - with a trailer full of empties, he's off to the Bavarian capital.

Country music and a good mood - the summery trucker festival in Frontenhausen, Lower Bavaria, provides asphalt cowboys with just the right change from the tough everyday life of truck drivers. Here the men finally have time to celebrate. Only transport company Marten has to work on the freeway. This time he has reinforcements on board, because his father is helping him out. But the first problems arise when the trailers are coupled up. Meanwhile, colleague Andreas enjoys the relaxed atmosphere at the festival and is also finding inspiration there in terms of truck refinement. And yet, his truck is already award-winning, just like the one of his colleague Sigi. Driver Piet, on the other hand, doesn't think much of thick engines and expensive equipment. He turns back the clock and trots through the Emsland region with horse and cart, just like the carters in the past.

Lumber driver Thorsten Eckert is already sitting behind the steering wheel of his heavy truck before sunrise. The 38-year-old trucker is on his way to the mountains to pick up his first load. He has taken over the company from his father and thus feeds his family of four. The man from Lower Franconia still has no idea that this working day will bring him a bunch of unpleasant surprises. In the meantime, Andreas Schubert starts a groupage tour to Italy - the experienced transport company is under enormous time pressure. And trucker lady Monika sets off in convoy for a heavy goods tour to the Baltic Sea. Although the 41-year-old has only had her truck driving license for three years, she is still allowed to drive large loads - learned is learned. When Monika is on the goat, one thing is never missing: her terrier Aik.

Shortly after five in the morning, trucker Monika starts the engine at the Frankenwald rest stop in Bavaria. This day is going to be quite an ordeal for the 41-year-old because she is suffering from a flu-like infection. In the evening, the tough Swabian woman is not waiting for a hot bath, but rather a disgusting building container without hot water in the middle of the Vorpommern province. But that doesn't stop Monika, she is determined to make her way north. Transport company Marten is now on its way to Augsburg with a load of steel beams. The 30-year-old has not yet been able to organize a return load due to the seasonal economic downturn.

Holstein's Marten Nottelmann is in a good mood again, as the order situation in the transport industry has improved. Precise scheduling is now the be-all and end-all of daily business. But no matter how hard you try as a trucker, nothing is as old as the scheduling system you just had! Uwe Wenta, the radiator truck driver, knows that too. In Bremerhaven, he loads fresh and frozen goods for a large ship's chandler, and that means: Always keep an eye on the temperature in the trailer, otherwise the goods might be spoiled on arrival. But the destination is still 700 kilometers away. Concrete coachman Piet has meanwhile switched over due to the winter lull in the construction industry. He now travels in a tanker truck from village to village, right across his Emsland home. But Piet is a newcomer here, because his load is very special and takes some getting used to - if it works out.

Trucker lady Monika is on tour with a very special job. She is to bring quality coffins from Lower Bavaria, because her forwarding agency runs a funeral parlor in addition to the transport business. Of course, she is not going to Bavaria empty and is setting off fully loaded with high-quality pumped storage tanks. But the delivery in the Bavarian Forest soon threatens to become an odyssey. And while lumber driver Thorsten is already putting up the maypole on the village square in a good mood after a special tour with a steel load, Italy driver Andreas Schubert is once again swelling his crest - once again nothing with dolce vita!

Ruhrpott-Trucker Mike is on his way to Berlin in the middle of the night. He knows this route like the back of his hand, because the truck driver is working like on an assembly line. Meanwhile, lumber driver Thorsten transports precious woods for an auction. A job like made for the Franconian driver and his Z-crane. And horse transporter Gerald and his co-driver Günther from Lithuania set off south in this episode. On their tour to Spain and Portugal, the horse whisperers have to look after eleven horses.

Andreas Schubert is in good spirits: The truck driver is looking forward to his next tour, because he is going to southern Italy. Exactly what the Bavarian connoisseur is looking for. Meanwhile, his colleague Monika is slowed down by a major construction site on her way to Austria. The 42-year-old has loaded a huge tank on her flatbed truck. Meanwhile, horse trucker Gerald and newcomer Günther are unloading their first four-legged friends in Spain. The duo has to be hell-bent on making sure that none of the spirited animals get lost.

In Austria it rains twines. But Florian Steinhäuser does not let this spoil his mood. After all, one of his favorite tours is on the program. It goes through the Eurotunnel to the British island. One problem, however, causes the deeply relaxed trucker a stomachache: illegal immigrants who try to cross the border as stowaways in a truck. Meanwhile, Andreas Schubert has to deal with long waiting times in Rimini. The truck driver takes advantage of the unpleasant forced break to take care of the truck

Final spurt on the island: England trucker Florian Steinhäuser transports a valuable cargo to the North Sea coast. The racing car in his trailer is worth 100,000 euros. Meanwhile, Ruhr Valley trucker Mike Cohnen is on his way north - unloading in Hamburg, reloading in Bremen. The dates are tightly calculated. But a guys' night out with buddy Nick at the Jägerheim rest stop compensates for a lot of stress. Meanwhile, Marten Nottelmann goes on tour for the first time in his brand new Volvo.

New routes, new drivers, new adventures: DMAX goes on a big ride with the kings of the highway. In the new episodes, the "Asphalt Cowboys" board their trucks weighing tons across Europe: from Sweden to Paris and the Balearic Islands. Everyday life as a trucker on the roads and at rest areas is no bed of roses for refrigerated truck driver Steffen, with delicatessen on the trailer, Andreas in the Scania R 620 and Dieter, who specializes in Mallorca moves. But despite time pressure, traffic jams and traffic controls, the "asphalt cowboys" would never change their jobs. Speaker of the documentary series is singer and trucker idol Gunter Gabriel. In the new episodes the "German Johnny Cash" records a song in the recording studio with a hero of the highway.

Piet Hackmann organizes a trucker meeting with his buddies. Afterwards schnitzels are loaded onto the trailer for the next tour. Apprentice Steffen has to lend a hand. Meanwhile, asphalt cowboy Florian Steinhäuser is fighting his way through the traffic chaos in Dublin. The Rhinelander had never imagined the Irish capital to be so loud and crazy. In this episode Steffen Müller sets course for Paris. The refrigerated truck driver loads food for the South German fine dining industry at the wholesale market in France.

On the road again! Ruhrpott-Trucker Mike sets off together with forwarder Daniel for Sweden. Such jobs are a welcome change to the daily routine on German highways. But when unloading in Trelleborg, the duo struggles with communication problems. Meanwhile, refrigerated truck driver Steffen takes the opportunity to take his truck on a sightseeing tour of Paris. And in Aldenhoven, driver Dieter gets ready for a tour of the Balearic Islands. The asphalt cowboy wants to reach the ferry in Barcelona on time.

Time pressure, traffic jams and traffic controls: Everyday life on the highways is often no walk in the park. Nevertheless, Ruhr Valley driver Mike Cohnen and freight forwarder Daniel Schewe would never change their jobs, because many a tour reconciles the asphalt cowboys with unique experiences. At a lake in Sweden, the duo experiences real trucker idyll. Meanwhile, removal driver Dieter has arrived on Mallorca and is unloading his trailer there. The work is progressing well, so there is time for a tour of the island before the next appointment.

Mike Cohnen and Daniel Schewe have a mammoth tour coming up. The destination of their journey is Norway. To make sure everything goes smoothly on the way, the asphalt cowboys have their trucks blessed by a trucker pastor at a truck yard. Thorsten Eckert can't complain about boredom either. In this episode, the lumber driver has his hands full, but suddenly his work equipment goes on strike. And in the Westphalian town of Hamm, the members of the "Children need our help" association get three fourty-ton trucks ready for the trip to Lithuania.

Piet Hackmann would never exchange his beloved gravel roads for dull warehouses. That's why his job is exactly to his taste: the asphalt cowboy transports peat and wood chips in this episode, but his shirt-sleeved colleagues sometimes don't take the permitted loading quantity too seriously. Meanwhile, Mike and Daniel enjoy beautiful nature on their tour to Norway and experience a trucker evening with Polish colleagues, which opens the eyes of the drivers from the Ruhr area.

Mike Cohnen and Daniel Schewe are struggling with an adventurous unloading point in Norway. The truckers are to deliver sewage pipes in the middle of a forest. It's narrow, muddy and far and wide, no company is in sight. But then suddenly two colleagues approach them. Meanwhile, the Bavarian freight forwarder Andreas Schuber switches to the passenger seat. His new employee Christian is supposed to show what he can do. So Andreas lets him take the wheel of his beloved, pimped-out Scania.

Mallorca forwarder Dieter Lynen is getting ready for a tour to his favourite island. With German beer and furniture on the trailer, the tour goes via Southern France and Barcelona to the Balearic Island. Meanwhile, the drivers of the association "Kinder brauchen Hilfe" from the Westphalian town of Hamm have to struggle with idiosyncratic traffic regulations in Eastern Europe. When trucker Norbert has to make a U-turn with his heavy truck on the freeway in Lithuania, the safety-conscious ex-policeman's collar bursts.

Woman behind the wheel: Freight forwarder Daniel Schewe has hired a new driver. Maike has only held a truck driver's license for half a year and is driving a tour for her boss on her own for the first time. Meanwhile, Mallorca trucker Dieter Lynen meets the singer Melanie Müller on his free evening on the Balearic Island and the drivers of the association "Kinder brauchen Hilfe" from the Westphalian town of Hamm cover the last kilometers of their four-ton truckload of relief goods to Lithuania on an adventurous road.

The big day has finally arrived: Asphalt cowboy Mike Cohnen marries his Bianca! To celebrate the day, the newlyweds are holding a trucker party with a convoy of trucks. Country bard Gunter Gabriel, "the German Johnny Cash", is also in the party and serenades the bridal couple himself. Meanwhile, freight forwarder Dieter Lynen and his drivers unload 20,000 liters of beer on Majorca, and lumber driver Thorsten Eckert is not spared from breakdowns on the forest tour in the Taunus region.

Chrome and Alcantara: Mike Cohnen can't believe it - his boss has bought him a brand new truck! On the maiden voyage, the "asphalt cowboy" sets off for Sicily together with his buddy Daniel Schewe. Meanwhile, Thorsten Eckert steers a flatbed truck to the Nürburgring. That sounds like child's play, but in the end the job turns out to be a nerve-wracking test. Accidents, time pressure and annoying freight forwarders: truck driver Piet Hackmann is also very familiar with the rigors of the job.

Whether local or long-distance transport, hazardous goods or express: Marc Panzer knows how the transport business works. Because the "asphalt cowboy" has established his own company in North Rhine-Westphalia with charm and assertiveness. But a professional driver and freight forwarder are two jobs in one. That's why multitasking is the order of the day behind the wheel. An extensive private life and healthy nutrition are also pure luxury in the logistics industry. Instead, the heroes of the Autobahn struggle with nerve-racking deadline stress in this episode.

2000 kilometers without load on the trailer? Mike Cohnen and Daniel Schewe are looking forward to returning to Germany in southern Italy. But apparently the Ruhrpott-truckers have done the calculation without the freight forwarder. Meanwhile, Florian Steinhäuser is on the road in Austria with his truck. On the relaxed route, the "asphalt cowboy" has time for profound thoughts. And Marc Panzer is to transport 20 tons of the finest beef to Cologne. But in the cold store, the truck driver has an accident.

Highway 17 is always good for a surprise, because moose or bears can block the road at any time. Nevertheless, Joe Flege is looking forward to the tour to Toronto. Because the native of Hamburg has been driving in Canada for seven years and loves adventure. The same applies to Heiko Lichtenberger, who moved from the Sauerland to North America ten years ago and experiences pure trucker romance in the prairie. Meanwhile in his home village, truck driver Piet Hackmann is looking forward to a joint appearance with singer Gunter Gabriel.

Heavy work with obstacles: Thorsten Eckert is to load long logs in the forests of the Rhön. But the huge logs, up to eight meters long, do not cause the "asphalt cowboy" any headaches. Instead, this time the forester is causing complications. Meanwhile, Canada trucker Heiko Lichtenberg is struggling with bad roads in his adopted home in the middle of nowhere. And Sigi Reil, a primary rock, is plagued by wanderlust at the thought of his load. Because the containers the truck driver transports are shipped all the way to Japan and Miami.

Sports and artful body painting have taken their toll on her: Monika Mast shows her steel-hard muscles and her latest tattoo during her workout. With her tipper, the Swabian has recently started transporting building materials for road construction. A real challenge - even for well-trained "asphalt cowgirls". Meanwhile, Piet Hackmann, Mike Cohen, Daniel Schewe and Mike Panzer make the 31st trucker meeting in Kaunitz unsafe. There, the truck drivers will get their money's worth with a hearty country sound and meet the musicians of their favorite band.

In Norway and on Mallorca, in the Ruhrpott and in Schleswig-Holstein, in East Westphalia and in Saxony-Anhalt: DMAX goes on a great journey with the kings of the Autobahn. From the radiator driver in Scandinavia to the thatched truck on its way to the next place of operation: everyday life on the roads and rest areas is no bed of roses for the protagonists of the series. Because in the transport industry, there is merciless competition. But despite time pressure, traffic jams, detours and traffic controls, the "Asphalt Cowboys" would never change their jobs. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Vikings and bikes: Stefan Kleiß has two great passions. For the members of his motorcycle club "Odins Vassals" a surprise is in store. In this episode, the reed trucker takes a small detour on his tour to meet up with his buddy "Zottel" in a parking lot. Meanwhile Andreas Schubert steers his black and red Scania R620 into the Rhön. The asphalt cowboy is to deliver a load of lumber in Hesse. And for Manuel Feigl, shoes become a problem when unloading heavy freight in Schleswig-Holstein.

Cool trucks with airbrush design: Mario Bruns is proud of his trucks, because the 40-ton trucks are real eye-catchers. The freight forwarder is getting ready for a tour to Italy with his driver Uwe Rowold. But loading the vehicles turns out to be a real test of nerves. Meanwhile, Jens Lindner is on the road in local traffic. The Saxon "Asphalt Cowboy" delivers furniture parts to Rabenau. And Markus Trojak has turned his passion into his profession. In this episode, the bike fan from Rhineland-Palatinate meets the Harley of "Terminator" Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Majorca forwarding agent Dieter Lynen loads moving furniture into his 40-ton truck. The customer has the freight well packed. But the chipboard boxes cannot withstand a fall from the forklift. Meanwhile, Uwe Rowold and Mario Bruns are desperately looking for a parking space on their tour of Italy. Truck drivers regularly have to struggle with this dilemma, because the available parking spaces are permanently overcrowded. And Jens Lindner is looking forward to seeing his siblings again. The Saxon wants to combine his unloading appointment with a visit to his family.

Wild flowers and corn fields: Dieter Lynen is impressed by the vegetation on his Mallorca tour. The Rhinelander transports garden houses to the Balearic Islands. Painful memories come up in the driving cab. Meanwhile, Uwe Rowold begins the day with a "canister wash". The "Asphalt Cowboy" has been on the road in long-distance traffic for 40 years. But in Lombardy, Uwe meets a colleague with even more professional experience. And Daniel Schewe hopes for better times after a serious accident. The freight forwarder takes delivery of a new tractor.

Out of the office: Dieter Lynen is rarely on the go as head of a forwarding agency. His 1500 kilometer long tour to Spain is a welcome change. But when unloading on the vacation island of Mallorca, a yucca palm tree causes discord. Meanwhile, in the mountains of South Tyrol, absolute concentration is required. There, wood driver Ronny Vötsch steers his truck over unpaved roads. And Sven Pittke sets off for Belgium with lava rock in his tipper. Sven's employer has specialized in the transport of volcanic raw materials.