Be Beekenkamp – Eric de Boer is proud of the fact that Beekenkamp has 9 trucks of its own as a young plant producer
Just back from Berlin, Eric tells with a smile on his face about working as a truck driver at Beekenkamp: “I have been working at Beekenkamp for 15 years now, which seems like a very long time, but you should compare it with my other driver colleagues! There are only 2 truck drivers who work here a shorter time than me, the rest works here way longer. That actually says enough about what Beekenkamp is like as a company for its employees”.
Eric started 15 years ago as a backup driver. After a while he got his own truck and he started driving international journeys. Eric’s working week starts with loading vegetable plants at 1 of the Beekenkamp Plants locations. One day he drives a truck full of tomato plants, the other day he drives with cabbage plants. He also transports lettuce plants regularly. After loading he starts his truck and sets off. As a driver on the road, it is important to ensure the correct temperature in the truck. This is a big responsibility because the vegetable plants must not only arrive at the customer on time, but also of the best quality.
There are a lot of rules that drivers must adhere to: for example, after 4,5 hours of driving, they must take a break for 45 minutes. All of this is tracked through a tachograph and is readable for the police when they stop the truck. you do not follow the rules, you risk a fine.
Eric does both journeys between the Beekenkamp and rental garden locations and international journeys. Did you know that the truck drivers at Beekenkamp drive an average of 130,000 kilometers per year? For example, this week he has completed journeys to Switzerland and Berlin, and today he drives the plants between different rental gardens. “I really enjoy the variety in my work. Even in Switzerland I am already greeted with ‘Môghe Eric!’. The customer is king and wherever I deliver plants, I consult with the customer on how we can handle the situation there at the time”.
Eric is proud to work for Beekenkamp because it offers certainty, it is a very strong family business with good working conditions. It is also unique for a plant grower that they have their own trucks under management. “I go whistling to work every day and whistling home and I expect to keep doing this at Beekenkamp in the coming years!” Eric concludes.