Christophe Deblaton is not an average truck driver. At the age of 30, this man from Bouillon controls one of the few ecocombi’s driving around in Belgium: a combination up to 25.25 meters long, consisting of a motor car with two trailers in the colors of TS Lux. A configuration that makes an impression on the road, requires special control and on which the driver is rightly proud.
After a first job in school transport at Poncin Clebant in Bouillon, Christophe started working at TS Lux (Ehlerange) seven years ago. “I immediately started with a truck-supporters combination,” he recalls. “For a year I rode short international journeys in the Benelux, the east of Germany and northern France. I was then looking for more stability to be switched on evening shuttles with more regular working hours. After that, my boss suggested me in 2023 to follow the training to be running with an ecocombi. My truck was Homologist with LZV transport, so that was Homologist with LZV transport.”
An extremely rare combination
The Ecocombi of Christophe is special because of its composition: a truck with two trailers behind it. It would be the only one of this type in Belgium. In terms of motorization, the DAF XG 480 is perfect for this 25.25 meter long combination that usually weighs up to 51 tons. “My record is 55.5 tons. My small DAF climbs just as smoothly as the earlier 440s and 450s with which I drove 44 tons. The weight can be restrictive on hilly terrain, and I think twice before I catch up a vehicle that only drives one or two km/h slower than me.”
This configuration makes it possible to load 51 euro pallets on the floor – a capacity that is well above 33 pallets of a standard combination – but its use falls under a specific regulatory framework with established processes that must be renewed annually.
Christophe’s daily route shows perfectly how such a combination is used efficiently: “I leave from our depot in Habay-la-Neuve, load the truck with a trailer nearby and return to the depot to connect the second, pre-loaded trailer. Then I drive to Brussels where I then rash the motorbarrow to the motor truck. To Hainaut and Return to re-link the entire combination.
Specific driving technology
And behind the wheel? On the highway, Christophe noticed little difference with a classic combination. You have to wait a little longer to go to the right after a catch -up maneuver, but that is not too bad. In roundabouts, the combination behaves comparable to a tractor-trailer. Only with maneuvers it really gets different …
“With a semi -trailer or a motor car with one trailer, you think when reversing:” I sink to the left so that the trailer also goes to the left, “but with the Ecocombi the second trailer then goes to the right … and depending on the steering angle, the second trailer sometimes even disappears completely from my outside mirror. Then I have to estimate where I send it.” A challenge that takes on Christophe daily – and for which he harvests a lot of colleagues.
“A bit of the summit …”
“Experienced drivers sometimes tell me that reversing with such a combination seems impossible. But I do it every day! You need some feeling and time to get used to it-both on the three parts and the regular changes of configuration. But then it comes naturally. In terms of technology, it looks strong on a classic truck-truck combination with a dolly.”
And that impresses other road users. Christophe’s combination is therefore often photographed. A nice recognition for this responsible driver who is a fan of Ecodriving and hopes to be able to ride his Ecocombi for a long time.
“For me this is a bit of the summit of what you can drive as a driver. On the one hand there is the challenge to master such a combination in various situations, and on the other hand the pride that you feel behind the wheel of such an impressive whole. I will ever go to a classic vehicle again, then that will be with a little pain in the heart …”
