In this new episode of Truckstop, the Transportmedia podcast, Luc Macharis, manager of Transport Macharis, joins host Jeroen Ver Schakelen. It became a conversation about leadership, succession within the family business, and about a passion that is at least as great as that for transport: rugby.
Peace and quiet as a rare luxuryRest is a scarce commodity in the transport world. Luc Macharis knows this better than anyone. “As a business leader, you go to sleep with your work and wake up with it,” he says. “It never stops. You can’t say: I’m going to take a 45-minute rest now.” Yet he has learned to dose better. “I used to work from eight in the morning to ten at night. Now I try to limit it to six hours. Because the longer you work, the less productive you are. Your brain just won’t allow that anymore.”
An important step in this was literally taking distance. While he used to live next to the company, he opted for a home further away from the site when he moved to Dendermonde. “They used to come to my back door because they saw a light on,” he laughs. “That’s different now. Everyone has a mobile phone, and there is a clear division of tasks. This way you remain reachable without having to constantly intervene.”
The power of organization and follow-upAccording to Macharis, good organization is essential for peace and quiet. Not only for himself, but also for his team. “We are constantly busy until Saturday afternoon,” he explains. “We have drivers during the day, at night and internationally. But as soon as the last Saturday comes in, it’s over. Sunday remains sacred.”
What also brings peace is the certainty that the next generation is ready. “You work on that every day,” he says. “The young people, our sons and sons-in-law, have been active here for four to five years now. They are learning everything little by little, with the spoonful as I sometimes say. They learn that it is not just sitting behind the computer, but also customer follow-up, pricing, ordering fuel, everything that goes with a company.”
His voice betrays pride. “Their jar is gradually filling up,” he smiles. “But our pot is also full. We would like to gradually reduce it. Not stop, but work differently.”
Rugby: war on the field, friendship off itWhen you say Luc Macharis, you also say rugby. Sport is almost a religion in Dendermonde, and Macharis played a central role there for years. “Rugby is more alive here than football,” he says. “It is a fair sport. You learn values from it that you can use in life: respect for the referee, camaraderie, discipline.” With a twinkle in his eye he adds: “Rugby is war on the field, but friendship off the field. We sometimes left the square with a black eye, but then went for a pint together.”
His involvement was not limited to just playing. He was also one of the driving forces behind the Dendermonde international rugby tournament, which now has more than thirty editions. “We started with eight teams, today there are 112,” he says proudly. “It has become a festival. I call it the Tomorrowland of rugby.”
Family, passion and futureToday, Macharis is passing the torch step by step, both in the company and in sports. “I did my part,” he says. “Now it’s up to the youth. And they do it well. And yes, my grandchildren?” And with a wink: “The first ball they get is not a round ball!”
An entrepreneur with team spiritLuc Macharis combines a strong work ethic with a warm sense of family and team spirit. Whether on the field, in the company or in the family, Macharis always revolves around the same values: respect, responsibility and cooperation.”
You have to learn to enforce peace,” he continues. “But if you are well organized and have people around you who take responsibility, it will come naturally.”
