Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/610407
FACT FILE RRC y Cía. Ltda was founded in 1979. The company started by transporting goods between Chile and Argentina – a business that is still ongoing. The head office is located in Santiago, Chile. 155 employees work for the company. The truck fleet consists of 80 Volvo FH trucks. Recently RRC y Cía. Ltda purchased another 30 Volvo FHs from the new Volvo range. The company specializes in international transport of refrigerated cargo. TH E COM PANY TH E AR EA TH E TR UCK TH E ROAD Model: 2015 Volvo FH 500 I-Shift tractor with a 6-by-2 axle configuration. Engine: 13 liter straight six with 500Žhp and 1,840 ft-lbs torque at 1,050-1,400 rpm. Trailer: American refrigerated trailer from Utility with 30-ton capacity. Routes: Refrigerated goods from Chile to Argentina. As the sun begins to set behind the mountains, Manrique prepares himself a meal of steak and chicken by the side of the road. He talks of the times when his wife comes with him on the road. "Nobody cooks like my wife," he says, "but when we are on the road together, I do all the cooking. It's her time to rest. I don't like to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. My cooking is much better, and healthier." Manrique sits for a while in his chair and looks out over the mountains that have been his workplace for so many years. ey have brought him both joy and sadness. In a couple of years, he will retire and spend all his time with his wife at their home in beautiful Mendoza. "My father taught me everything about trucking, and also about these mountains," Manrique remembers. "Once, he told me that the Andes will always be here. Always. We will all die, sooner or later. But the Andes remain." n "I don't like to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. My cooking is much better." J UA N M A N U E L M A N R IQU E , PROF E S SIONA L T RUC K DR I V E R Paso Cristo Redentor, or Paso de los capitalize Libertadores, is famous for its 29 turns called Los Caracoles. The road takestrucks from 2,600Žfeet above sea level to the highest point at the border crossing between Chile and Argentina at 10,500 feet. TT Nyhetsbyrån A R G E N T I N A U R U G U AY 300 km B R A Z I L C H I L E A N D E S Paso de los Caracoles TT Nyhetsbyrån Mendoza Buenos Aires Montevideo Santiago Puerto Montt D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #2 /2015 17