The journey back to Siret took us through the Carpathians. (Photo: Mission Siret)
Without the four Crafters stationed in Romania, the daily transportation of aid supplies to Ukraine would be unthinkable. For this reason, it is essential that the vehicles run reliably and are regularly serviced and inspected.
At the end of December, the last rotation of our volunteers therefore transferred the vehicles to Germany so that they could be inspected by the German TÜV during the “Mission Siret” Christmas break.
In the meantime, they have all been given a new TÜV seal of approval and are already back in action from our warehouse in Siret.
The fact that this was possible without any complications is also due to the reliable care and inspection of the vehicles. Every Saturday, our volunteers give the vehicles a thorough clean and at regular workshop appointments in Siret, minor technical problems are rectified immediately. The main focus is on the brakes, as the Ukrainian road conditions demand a lot from the vehicles when they are driving on gravel roads, sometimes with a payload of several tons. For this reason, all vans are also equipped with additional leaf springs on the rear axle. However, gravel roads are not only a challenge for brakes and springs, the windscreens are also comparatively more stressed by stone chipping and therefore need to be repaired more frequently. The local car glazier in Romania does this for us free of charge to support “Mission Siret”.