Reviewing the week of 14 to 29 September, these are Stefan Pertz’ highlights
Took a flight out of Singapore to Germany this time. Couldn’t sleep on the plane and arrived in a real state in Hannover at 1:00am. Here, clear blue skies make for a welcome change to the haze in Malaysia.
Isuzu Launch
The Japanese truck maker launched a new version of their GIGA prime mover in Malaysia on Monday. Set in the Sentul Depot, the venue made for a great setting for the photos we need to cover the event. Since we had a special arrangement with Isuzu, we had early access to the site and were able to snap some really nice pictures of the vehicle, the people and what happened throughout the evening.
Visiting IAA Transportation 2026
It must be the sixth time Asian Trucker is visiting this bi-annual exhibition in Hannover, Germany. A major shift can be seen now as more Chinese brands push into Europe, using the event as a showcase for their products. Meanwhile, Volvo celebrated yet again to be crowned with the “Truck of the Year” award. Asian Trucker is an affiliate member of the International Truck of the Year Award and we had the privilege to join the award show on Monday.
Interviewing School Mates
For over 30 years, I have known the people behind Othmer Baustoffe, a bulk goods transporter with headquarters nearby my parent’s place. The company was known for bringing sand and aggregates to West Berlin while the wall was still up and Germany divided. What we learned is that the issues plaguing Asian transport owners are not very different form those in Germany.
The matter of Press Releases
This week a lot of press releases were received. As we can’t be everywhere at the same time, we appreciate them as we get to know what is happening in the world of commercial vehicles. One issue though: I would prefer the releases to be sent in Word / TXT files. PDFs mean one would have to extract the text and copy it into a Word file and then re-construct the formatting, paragraphs and line spaces. It would make it faster to work with the material.
Added Events and Content to Website
To keep our readers informed, a number of articles were added to the website. Also, the section listing events has seen a few additions. As our readers would want to know where they can access the latest information and see newly launched trucks for example, we continuously add new events to the page. Of particular interest would be The Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026 takes place from October 13 to October 16, 2026, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Here, one could get an update on trucks we featured in our November 2025 issue launched in Tokyo as well as getting some more insights into the workings of Archion.
Fuel Cost Pushing Truckers into Limelight
Watching the news on German TV, the plight of the truckers suffering under the high fuel prices was taking the limelight. The German government is weighing measures to counter the rising cost for Diesel in order to relief the transport industry. The war in Iran is impacting us all: flights take longer, are more expensive, our shopping will be more expensive, anxiety creeps in as businesses are loosing the ability to plan their cost ahead of time. This being highlighted in the news is important as the fuels are a major cost position. Many transporters I have spoken to are now considering electric trucks as they offer an alternative to the uncertainty. Accordingly, Volvo’s trucks were swarmed with visitors to the IAA wanting to learn more about the vehicles.
