W africa. South america home to true veterans of the road we join them on a voyage of discovery from the state of go us in brazil to sao paulo and the state of sun to cut out enough and finally to the small city of minnesota us in northeastern argentina play music music you know the main player was going to play getting. These trucks maybe museum items back in germany but are still valiantly rolling back the years on the roads of brazil you cut her. Number that the number of people going up close to 00 our journey begins in the brazilian state of call us at a truck stop thats packed with old timers this one looks a little worse for wear head is definitely on the rusty side was how come the middle of your follow the video but i want my way from bellaire. I want to try and load up some watermelons here and bring them to sao paulo. Thank you for you and does he always go the same way but what about the prophecy. Ive been taking the same route for 38 years from sao paolo tube l. M. And from back to sao paulo but i think it would be one when i get back to south paolo ill have a 970 kilometer journey i may not want the fish in my truck is still going after 6000000 kilometers on the clock although i have had to replace the engine a few times i spend more time caring for it then for my family. That. Will might be my life is spent in the truck. I did go to school but i dropped out to fulfill my childhood dream which has now become a nightmare. Life but if you love roses you have to live with the thorns to write. Not a bad. Song what are those throwing so. Roberto forever to susa is now 64 years old. His truck has helped him take care of 3 wives and 10 children he says with pride. This is el sights a popular truckers diner in the area. Roberto lovingly calls his truck im not allowed a yellow one its 40 years old. Dont look at your body elses husband was a truck driver too. Thats him here with the 1113. There are load of them still on the roads of brazil 1313151320 extension 13 the 1st from mercedes brazil good vehicles coming up a little bit of how they know its diesel not blood that runs through the veins of these men even their families get the bug. Yes cut me open and youll find these old. Truck driving is and i. Blood. Bank. Drivers can get a meal at al sells for 15 play ice the equivalent of 3 euros 50 party and affordable fair. If i have the money to get a new truck it will be another mercedes youre not going to move through. The diner is located by the truck stop near sardine polish a small town about 1200 kilometers north of south palo. From here its just a few minutes drive to the offices of a fruit wholesaler. The company purchases entire harvests from farmers and then sells the property except markets in the cities. Roberto is hoping to get a delivery to sao paulo because its close to where he lives. Have faith in the lord with all your heart reads the company sign. Roberto joins other drivers sitting outside. Their own waiting to be assigned a delivery. Of the little. League world for a little that way it can take hours if not longer. Only sometimes its 2 or 3 days depending on demand. At long last a Company Representative emerges and has deliveries to assign to come. Out for 150 day ice. With that money youd be broke by the time you got to sell palo thats all she has to offer. But i love. Her photo they go out its all about supply and demand when there are fewer trucks available the price rises when there are a lot like now the price goes down market patience is a virtue in brazil and specially for Truck Drivers its the only offer they receive all afternoon. While you work and maybe itll work out tomorrow god willing is it. Going to be. A little little lost it isnt easy. To handle the tonnage plans to send them to. Elsa steiner the truckers can recharge their own batteries while also feeling well. Home sick coming. To legal battle has been on the road for 12 days and today is his beloved wifes birthday. The town the to the sense her happy return stole the true. To. Life and loves she told me tomorrow ill probably be able to load a delivery and be in sao paulo on sunday. Just. Love love love love. Love love. Love the next morning there are even more trucks lined up outside the wholesaler. The cost of the competition and speculation among buyers is paid by the drivers. Love. Of india the 4 trucks drive off without a buyer for the watermelons. They load up and set off you but they dont know where they will ultimately be unloading. What the wholesale or fruit talk now does is try to find a buyer. Youve got me they then send a fax for the driver to print out at a gas station. Thats the sales license which the driver needs to be allowed into the market. To. The beer goggles to my d. Q. He will but i dont set out until i know where im headed to avoid stress on the road and that is that its us who are left with any law. Also is there the day its our time thats being spent and money for food theres no point getting the union involved they might resolve your current problem but then youre blacklisted and you wont get any more jobs from anyone to go back to him which might explain why religious mantras are rare source of comfort also seen on the trucks themselves thanks ill do so i cant say if ill get on the road today well see more about way thanks thanks dave roberto decides to set off despite not having a precise destination for his delivery 1st he has to have his truck wait while empty to ensure the weight of his load can be verified when delivered at the other end thank god then he continues to the plantations to pick up 15 tons of watermelon. And. The state of going ice is dominated by big landowners especially cattle breeders. They control the farming sector while also Holding Political posts in brasilia the connections they enjoy in the capital enable them to constantly expand their land assets they then lease their fields to local farmers. The farmers sell their produce to the wholesalers thanks. Love. Love. Love. Love this is the best part of the journey when the trucks loaded up and we can finally get going. What ever the young ones can do so can the. 15 tons of watermelon on board headed for the state of south. Its a 1200 kilometer journey from here which will take him 3 days. Over half of all goods transported in brazil are delivered by truck along very poor roads roberto has his own motto adorning his precious truck for the sake of life is worth living. But it. Does is an. Idiot be as he thought of my own. Going to make the most of the. End. A year after that film was shot german car maker mercedesbenz opened a factory on farmland just 20 kilometers outside sao paulo the factory would make diesel trucks and later buses to. Almost half of the trucks and buses on the roads of the country were built by Mercedes Benz told herself but despite the companys high profile our film crew were not allowed inside the factory gates here in south. Pole. But a privately run newseum in the town does open its doors specially for this man a nice surprise for 80 year old quality engineer of the century dungeon level who used to work at Mercedes Stopa still on it. And its in the mail this ones from my time at the company it has the heart of mercedes. Although the body was made by nicola fadia soon you call. It a shell i feel nostalgic. With so i really miss that time. Mason the workers used to call the company or my mom or say these ads i want my money yes its. In my time there were 15000 people working there there were 3 cooperative stores for the workforce you were you could buy everything you needed for one month even clothes and house or appliances and at the end of the month it would be taken off of your wages for that part of it but it was way cheaper than regular stores because the Company Bought it and people that are. The part i meant to met you also had excellent medical care provided inhouse for staff and their families i missed this and the company also. Had a football pitch for staff and a club where we could have dances to celebrate the festival joining us we were there all the time on friday we go home but on saturday well be back again. And saying well since i feel im. A mom a mercedes is now a distant memory. Serious economic crisis demand on the truck market has slumped a Mercedes Benz dough brazil has already seen with dundon scenes and severance packages perhaps its no coincidence that the management are not keen on a foreign t. V. Crew taking a look around. 8 state to have robertos trip to sound. A bit of. A knight in his bag of gold. Glove to. Get it. Wrong again but. He knew that the old trucker songs help to keep his spirits up while hes on the road. Laughing. She loves. To but you. Love the loud. It was. A. Live. Gene playing. In the to. Hold. It. Who would you fancy something new and better in life. But given the chance to swap im not sure my heart would be enough so. Tell me weve been partners for so many years and my trucks never made me unhappy it was it meets my expectations its a really sound truck no bill got there its perfectly happy when i drive slowly on the but when i step on it because i have a deadline to meet also no problem oh god of the day the thing that i cant help it i like it. I feel comfortable with it even when im asleep she didnt think of me. And this leads. Me. To believe. That. Every cent account says roberto you have to want your budget to end up with any money in your pocket that means only getting gas where he can get a discount only to diesel here costs 77. 00 euro cents. To put the moment. Of free rate isolator but i get a discount if we dont move my feet do you think government. Wont immediately. Took. A. Little money we have to cover highway toll charges then Everything Else ourselves the companies dont pay a cent. As long as the drivers are on the road the wholesalers and Distribution Companies continue to play the market and the drivers. Ruperto goes to ask if in fact. Has arrived for him. Hes expecting one his delivery order from the company for tuck. And of course i still dont know where ill be taking the watermelons these are the forms of the strong liberal who saw. The only information he does have is the approximate direction hes heading with his 1513 model truck and its 15 time load of melons. To. His journey takes him through the state of maine us share rise past an Indian Sugarcane fields. Some lights on the horizon are not a city they belong to the enormous Sugar Refinery is. Another tiring day at the wheel comes to an end. Its friday and bankers short and pages is looking forward to the weekend hes checking the weather. Where in the state of pattern in the southwest of brazil. Showdown lives here on a farm belonging to his mother in law together with his wife letitia. And and his many mercedes and their city neo 600 make one believe that the coming full. Of. Young. You can push news media. I see it. Is 23. 00 jordan is 24. 00 the couple are sprucing up a small framed truck for their sunday excursion. Jordan bought it secondhand and restored it himself. From permissive simply. That ive always been crazy about mercedes. When i was 16 i made a paper model of this truck which i still have today. Its an old love. The top hole and its taken from my fathers 1st truck childhood memories. To that it was really difficult to find original parts for the restoration. I spent 2 years searching for the white protective hub cap for example pressure now theyre going to sit in the 1970 s. And eightys people thought that chrome elements would bring good luck and more jobs. This number plate holder was already made like that by mercedes. Its an original part that i found and restored to. The club. And let me see i got married in december during the summer in brazil mars there were 3 of us you me and our truck. With. Me planned every little detail. I had my dress on with slits down the side to make it easier to get any now to. See. When you made a little truck. Yes this. We were so happy that day and. Many of the people in the region are the descendants of european settlers and economic refugees families with now been here for 5 generations. Give me the norse of the city my forefathers come from tree or in germany they started to farm the fields here back then the brazilian government gave away land to immigrants since. The. Immigrants who settled all the way down to florida are no police on the coast of Santa Catarina state they also included many italians such as the forefathers apollo luis. Theres a little film playing in my head when i look at this vehicle my father used to drive it i learned how to drive while i sat on his lap. When i was 14 i started helping him at the wheel although i didnt have a license. Polo is now a Building Contractor and a collector of vintage Mercedes Benz models. Well the areas today covered with tower blocks used to be dense forest land. Back then we were given permission to cut down trees. We would load up a truck like this with a temper 4 times a day and then take it to hospital and shops and floor not. For heating fuel. Has tracked down veteran mercedes models all over the country hes now restored to 8. 100. A good. Look his most recent acquisition is this 312. And it was already 10 years old when i was born i was born in 67 and the truck in 57. Trucks like this helped to build the roads in brazil by transporting materials. This was the 1st mercedes model the engine brakes tires and axles are all original parts. Take it for a drive 1st to see if you like it says his mechanic. The starter the clutch theyre all from 1957. You think you know theres no secret to these engine was with a pair of pliers and some wire youll never have a breakdown with this one. Ill start it up and well see yes we obviously. Didnt give you. All those veterans are not exhibition items theyre used for their original purpose thank you. Theyre in good shape and because theyre more than 15 years old i dont have to pay any road tax and the maintenance costs are really low to. Those mises i use the flat face as we call the 320. 00 want all the time insurance for a new one would be too expensive plus theres no place a new model can get to this baby care and the my good. Luck. Let me. Get this. Bill so im thinking by the sound when i knock on the tires tells me whether they have enough air and i. Think i would like to also. There might be a puncture from a nail somewhere just. Build a sucky a tire like this currently costs 800. 00 re ice which is too much. Like it so after a while i swap the front tires to the rear and then get them retreaded. Its just so recent that only costs 550 grams. For me and id love to give it a general overhaul but earning so little and having to pay for all those things while on the road means you have to choose. Either get the truck restored or feed your family so. Im constantly having to postpone it and in the meantime the rust is getting worse come on. Oh. Its sunday and roberto is around a 100 kilometers away from sun power and home was. The. Goal but. Rather. Than. The. Casual mailbox man these guys were most posed to go with these melons not the old. South pole and the sprawling metropolis that never sleeps the main wholesalers market is located in the downtown area its late by the time roberto arrives and he still has no delivery order but he heads down to the market nonetheless. The woman at the gate wants to know what goods he has on board having no delivery order means roberto will have to leave his truck by the entrance to the car park. It will be safe there she assures him. Roberto is now just 50 kilometers from home but hes worried that parking his truck unload there would put them at risk of being stolen. Night and day trucks roll up here from all over brazil 12000. 00 a day in total. Was. Many of the drivers have been waiting several days to unload their deliveries not a good sign for roberto. Their patient man but sometimes the Truck Drivers get fed up especially when they see their fruit beginning to rot sometimes reports roberto they open their truck bed side panels and dump fruit onto the street but unloading their anger like that will only hurt themselves he says theyre basically throwing away their own pay just yet but you can often wait for 4. 00 days or more at the market and no one is paying for your meals let alone all those last days so. Some drivers resort to trying their luck in the lottery. But. The baritone has had enough he goes looking for the representative of his customer for talk who he was supposed to meet here with all that he. Was and this is where the city supermarkets and other retailers buy their products. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis crime is a growing factor there have even been robberies at the market itself the newspapers have almost daily reports of trucks being stolen and their drivers abducted many do not survive says roberto. Was the market is a good shooting location for. A t. V. Show. That caters to Truck Drivers how to come you know go up with a roberto is vocal in his praise of his beloved truck but silent about the conditions he has to work under. To finally tracks down his true tack contact. To hold their feet the man is still making calls to find a buyer salvi i just want to unload mr. Bring them to a Company Warehouse in about 2 hours of all a bit better than me ok all i want is my money. And all i have left is 2 and a half 1000 re ice about 640 euros for a journey of 6000 kilometers and 13 work days yes one of the. Water was picked over 11 or me great book to deal with the shark and tina feys. Meant that i could all see some fabric of the last hour. Aki. It was the automakers 1st factory in latin america mercedesbenz argentina was founded in 1951 specializing in trucks and buses. Its management would later face accusations of having collaborated with the military dictatorship in argentina but its products are to this day i dont live by many in the country. This is northeastern argentina. The heartland of the countrys cowboys and rangers the couches. Yes. This small city in cody and his province with a population of 45000 just so happens to be called may say this guy did. You. Find out. You see. The region is the birthplace of the gauchos but also has strong associations with the national drink tonic wheat amat 81st consumed by indigenous peoples. Mercedes the town that doesnt take its name from the card which it predates by several decades mercedes is a name given to girls in spanish. A mercedes means our lady of mercy in the months dedicated to families she comes to visit School Children at home dont think. Public transportation in the city of my set is comprises a fleet of old buses all of them vintage Mercedes Benz models. That he is drunk everywhere including at this family run car workshop. Weve. Got and his 1