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Truck Driver Has Kept The Same Mercedes For 46 Years, Recalls 105 Trips To Belém Do Pará, A Life Driving The BR-153 And Shows How A Single Truck Can Carry Freights, Revisions, Friendships And Stories That Do Not Fit In The Odometer.
Some change trucks every time they get a better deal, but this truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years and has no plans to part with the “Big Yellow”. At 73 years old, retired from Social Security, he continues braving the roads, recalling the 105 trips to Belém, the days of palm hearts, today’s tight freights, and the friendships that ensure help when something goes wrong along the way.
A Marriage Of 46 Years Between Truck Driver And Mercedes
Roberto Ferreira de Souza bought the yellow Mercedes in 1980, with four years of use. Since then, the truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years, as if he had married the truck.
He jokingly says that he has tried to think about changing, but every time he opened the cabin door and looked at other trucks, his heart wouldn’t allow it.
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As time went by, the scenario became even more unbalanced. The old truck depreciated, new models became overpriced, and freights didn’t keep up with this increase.
For him, taking on a high payment for a new truck today is simply unfeasible, which reinforces the decision to stick with the “Big Yellow” as long as he is able to work.
The nickname became part of his identity. On the road, he is known as “Roberto of the Big Yellow”, so linked to the truck that his family cannot imagine them apart.
His wife even tells their son that selling the truck would be like “burying their father alive.” Their youngest daughter also confesses that she cannot picture her father without that specific Mercedes, and he agrees: it’s not just any truck, it’s “this” truck.
German Documentary And 105 Trips To Belém
The bond is so strong that the truck even gained international prominence. The “Big Yellow” was featured in a documentary produced by a German TV in 2017, broadcast at the beginning of 2018.
The station wanted to showcase old Mercedes trucks still in operation in Brazil, and Roberto’s story fit perfectly.
In addition to the brief fame, the truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years crossing the country, with a routine that has particularly marked the route to Belém do Pará.
He counts 105 trips to the capital of Pará, always departing from São Paulo, forming bonds at gas stations, yards, and cities along the BR-153.
Roberto proudly states that, along this route, he only has friends, he has no enemies, and he has counted on the help of many of them when something went wrong.
When the truck breaks down, he knows he can find help from someone he met on the road. This network of friendship is as much a part of the story as the Big Yellow itself, and helps explain why he continues to drive, even amidst current challenges.
Tight Freights, High Costs And Always Up-To-Date Maintenance
On one hand, the truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years out of passion; on the other, there is a rational side: the costs of the activity.
Roberto has always made a point of taking care of the truck at the dealership, performing preventive maintenance to avoid bigger problems on the road.
Over time, however, financial strain has forced him to extend some intervals. If he used to service the transmission at 150,000 kilometers, today he pushes it to 200,000 to keep the cash flow.
According to him, the current freight does not match the reality of costs, and the math is simple: fuel and tolls consume nearly half the value.
He recalls that, in the past, truck drivers spent about 25% of their freight on direct expenses. If a freight was worth one thousand reais, it would amount to around 750 reais in profit.
Now, on many trips, the scenario is practically split in half. On a return of 20,000 reais, he comments that he arrives home with less than half after paying for diesel, tolls, unloading, tips, meals, showers at gas stations, and even parking.
Additionally, he still needs to set aside a part for the truck’s maintenance, considering the engine, transmission, differential, brakes, bearings, and all the depreciation of the vehicle.
This collection shows how life on the road has changed and why he considers it so difficult to take the risk of a new truck.
From Palm Hearts To Fruits: The Change Of Load After 2015
Roberto’s professional journey is also intertwined with that of the “Big Yellow”. In the beginning, he transported wood.
Then, he joined a plywood factory, where he worked for about five years. Next came a long and stable phase with a palm heart factory in Belém.
It was 26 years transporting palm hearts back, with a freight he considers even better than going there. This factory was the financial balance of the route, the good freight that closed the trip’s accounting.
In October 2015, however, the company closed its doors, directly impacting the truck driver’s life and the routine of the Big Yellow.
Without the palm hearts, he migrated to fruits. From January to June, he began working with pineapples in southern Pará. From June until November or December, the focus shifted to watermelons in states like Goiás and Tocantins.
Even so, he imposed a clear limit: he does not accept excess weight, even seeing trucks similar to his leaving loaded with 22 tons.
Since the truck’s documentation allows for 14,000 kilos, he states that he prefers to respect this limit. For him, evading scales and risking fines or, worse yet, getting involved in an accident due to excess cargo is entering unnecessary risk territory.
This stance has caused him to walk away from some pineapple freights, but he has maintained his awareness and peace of mind to keep driving.
Accidents, Colder Roads And The Change In Friendship
Over the many years on the road, Roberto considers that his journey has generally been peaceful. But there was a memorable episode in Maranhão, when a motorcycle, instead of completing the left turn, ended up coming back diagonally and hitting the truck.
The motorcycle tire hit the front tire, blew the rubber, and the impact left one occupant injured and the other deceased.
He recalls that, fortunately, the passenger survived and told everyone, including the victim’s father, that the truck driver was not to blame.
This type of situation weighs on the memory of those who live off the road, even when the responsibility is not the truck driver’s.
Another point that has changed in his perception is camaraderie. At the beginning of his career, if a truck stopped on the shoulder, another colleague would pull over, ask what happened, and help as much as possible.
Today, he feels that many people just pass by and pretend they didn’t see, although there are still “true friends” who stop, help with quick maintenance, and don’t leave their colleague stranded.
Power, Age And Limits Of A Driver Who Does Not Want To Stop
Despite being old, the truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years with updated mechanics. The engine is no longer the original, and the turbo configuration reaches 180 horsepower.
He has preserved an old gearbox, known as G40, with larger gears, which ensures strength on inclines and prevents the truck from “embarrassing itself” on steeper grades.
At the same time, his body can no longer keep up with the old rhythm. At 73 years, he recalls times when he used to dismantle tires at home, with a hammer, change chambers on the road, and adjust brakes under the truck without a second thought.
Today, even getting under the truck to adjust the brakes has become a heavy task, and he acknowledges that he is no longer “that kid who jumps off the roof.”
Still, when asked how long he plans to keep going, he admits that this is the most difficult question to answer.
Retired since 2019, from Social Security, he cannot imagine simply abandoning the truck and staying home. For him, the idea of selling the Big Yellow feels heavier than facing the next uphill loaded.
In the end, it’s clear that the truck driver has kept the same Mercedes for 46 years because the truck has ceased to be just a work tool.
It has become memory, identity, a road companion, part of the family, and the lead character in a story that goes from São Paulo to Belém, returns via the BR-153, and continues every time the engine starts.
And you, could you stick to a single truck for almost half a century like Roberto of the Big Yellow, or would you trade your Mercedes every time you had the chance?
Parabéns!!!!O senhor e o Amarelão tem todo meu respeito!! Acredito que viver da estrada com os fretes de hoje é desafiador. Tem que ter o dom e acima de tudo, paixão pela profissão.
Parabens Robertao pela sua resiliencia O que ganhava antes com um caminhao Precisaria hoje de uma carreta Que custa muito caro Inviavel Enquanto aguentar Continue com o que tem Sem dividas Boa Sorte nas estradas
Grande guerreiro da estrada…. Merece todo o nosso respeito!! 👏👏👏