Girteka Drivers

This is a story about three people – a father and his two sons. All of them have been working in Girteka for many years. 

It started with the father, Sergey, back in 2012. A year later, his older son Yaroslav joined him. Then in 2014, the younger son Oleg came on board. 

Over the years, they’ve worked both solo and as a double crew with each other – and somewhere along the way, it stopped being just a job and became a family thing. 

We spoke with Yaroslav, who now works in a double crew with his father on the Norway route, driving a 3–axle truck. 

“Just for a couple of years” became 13 years and counting 

Yaroslav got into trucking for a simple reason – money. Before that, he worked as an engineer, tried construction work, but in the end, he followed his father’s footsteps and started to work as a driver in Girteka. 

In the beginning, the plan was simple: to work for a couple of years, earn some money for his family, and move on. He says most drivers will understand this – almost everyone starts the same way. 

But as he puts it, things just “kept rolling…” Now it’s been 13 years of that “temporary” job. 

On the road as a double crew – with his father 

Over time, Yaroslav came to a simple conclusion: driving in a double crew just works better – especially when the person next to you is someone you know well. 

He jokes that your co–driver has to be “closer than your wife” – and laughs right after saying it. But then he explains it simply: you see your wife at home, but your co–driver is with you 24/7 – at work, in everyday life, sharing one cab for two. You can’t simply go to separate rooms after you had an argument. 

That’s why, he says, it’s important to be on the same page – a similar mindset, attitude, and approach to work. Otherwise, driving in a team can be tough. 

For Yaroslav, working with his father just feels right. They’re both calm, not the type to argue, and in all these years they’ve never had any serious conflicts. There’s a clear understanding of who does what – just like in a family. His father has always been someone he looks up to, so a lot of things get sorted without saying much. 

Working in Norway 

Over the years, Yaroslav has driven across most of the Europe and Scandinavia, so he feels the difference right away. He says Norway is a completely different kind of job – much calmer compared to mainland Europe. 

Of course, the conditions aren’t easy. The worst part is “black ice”. He says it’s tricky – you can’t really see it, the road looks fine, but there’s almost no grip. 

That’s where the truck makes a difference. On a 3–axle truck, he feels much more confident – better stability, better traction, and overall, a safer drive in tough conditions. 

He also uses the “Vegvesenets trafikk” app to check road conditions in advance and even see parking availability through cameras. 

Another thing Yaroslav points out is the police. In Norway, it’s not about fines. He remembers one situation when he was driving slowly to a service due to a breakdown – around 40 km/h – with a line of cars behind him. At a parking area, the police approached him, calmly asked what happened, and even offered to escort him if needed. 

In the end, he says that despite the challenges, he prefers working in Norway. It’s less stress – and the pay is higher. 

A choice made over the years 

Yaroslav says that other companies often follow Girteka. He remembers a recent conversation at a parking lot – a driver from another company said they had started using tires “the same as Girteka does,” because if Girteka uses them, they must be good. 

He says it was the same with technology. While many companies were still calling or texting drivers, Girteka had already implemented the Transics system. Later, it became standard across the industry. And there are plenty of examples like that, he says. 

At the same time, Yaroslav isn’t trying to convince anyone that his company is the best. He simply knows it from his own experience. 

He doesn’t really understand drivers who keep jumping from one company to another. In his view, if you do your job properly and treat people right, you’ll get the same in return. 

He’s seen the same pattern many times – drivers leave, try other companies, and then end up coming back to Girteka. They just don’t always talk about it. 

You can see it at truck stops. Drivers stand around, comparing jobs, companies, and conditions. And that’s where they often ask Yaroslav, his father, or his brother to show the watches Girteka awards its drivers for being 10 years with the company – everyone knows what they stand for. 

Yaroslav isn’t planning to stop here. He has his own goals – like moving to an electric 3–axle Volvo one day. He believes that if you set your mind to something, you’ll get there – and he’s sure he will. 

When we asked him to describe his job in three words, he said: stability, inspiration, and commitment. 

Worth trying 

Yaroslav says double crew driving isn’t for everyone. But if you’ve got the right person next to you, it makes a big difference. 

It has to be someone you understand well – a father, brother, wife, or just someone with the same mindset. He says you really feel it in Scandinavia. If you’ve worked in those conditions, you quickly realize how important a reliable partner and a good truck are. 

And if you’re not sure – it’s always better to give it a try than to regret not doing it later.