Scottish Middle East Hauliers

bedgar047:
A recent photo of Geordie Scott

Yea the writing scotland-italy should have been done in italian and geordie retired about 6 months ago.
:smiley:

I,ve just finished reading through this thread and it brought back a memory from about 1976/77 I was with Elgin transport and heading north and stopped overnight at Southwaite services I met this owner driver with a LHD Daf who was just back from the M/E …we got chating and like all young blokes the thought of overland to these parts would be quite an adventure■■? he told me he was buying another Daf tractor unit and offered me a job … I made arrangements to go and talk it over with him so me and my then missus headed over to W Lothian just can,t remember where but around Broxburn or there abouts The "interview went well abnd it looked like it would go ahead untill I was,nt home but a few days when I got called to get ready as 2 loads had been arranged for Tehran …well I had,nt got any vaccinations or passport or handed in my notice in fact was,nt ready at all ■■? I was told dont worry about jabs its winter you,ll be all right !!!I well the alarm bells rung and I pulled out
Its a true saying you should keep a diary but my old memory is,nt as good as it used to be and i can,t for the life of me remember his name … him and his wife were very hospitable when we were there and really built up our enthusiasm but it was,nt to be … I was lucky enough though to get a job with SARAMAT in Saudi and spent a wee while out there …another adventure ■■?

crank case:
can anyone put a name to this man standing infront of the george thompson international(stirling) volvo

Hard to make out properly but it looks like Kenny Rennie, his regular truck was Jimmy Cochrans’ 110 super also in the same Cargo International Scomo colours as Esksides’ Dafs.

Ferdy sent me a photo of all 3 of them waiting to clear at the Iranian border, the photo was taken by Bill Robins, I’ll see if I’m allowed to post it.

Jeff…

Hi Klunk my brother-in-law,Rab Thomson used to run with Alec Miller for McNeil,s can you tell Alec, Rab was asking for him,
it,s good to see he,s still going strong.

Hi very interesting web pages.

Does any of the members of this site remember a Scottish company that did middle east work back in the day called JACK’S ■■?

The first 2 trucks to travel to the Middle East from Scotland. Pulling for Cargo International (Amsterdam) Drivers Alex Peat & Andrew Alves.

scania142:

A pair of Eskside International Dafs. Don’t know where this picture was taken.
Cheers Scania142

This was taken at Birtley Nr Chester-Le-Street showing truck to potential client for transport to the Middle East & Europe.

Scomo & Eskside Transport Edinburgh Parked in the Desert Between Jordan & the Saudi Customs…This was a late 1975 DAF 2800 6 X 4 nicknamed the Beast as it could go over Tahir in any weather lol

Nice Photo’s Scotnat
Did you do the Middle East

Tony.jpg

bestbooties:

Suedehead:
Sure that i read an article in an old Commercial about Spiers and Hartwell
Glasgow depot doing M/E in Fiat 619s

Didn’t know S and H had a depot in Glasgow,but their motors did do M/E.
The only driver I got to know was Tony Perkins.

S & H did do Middle East but not from Glasgow. Here is a pic of Tony Left S & H driver name unknown and Alex Peat centre Eskside at Londra Istanbul

scania142:
Nice Photo’s Scotnat
Did you do the Middle East

Yes I did with Scomo + Eskside at Musselburgh and Broxburn

You’d ken Coco and Kenny Rene then!!!

Jeff…

Jelliot:
You’d ken Coco and Kenny Rene then!!!

Jeff…

The name Coco does not ring a bell There was a guy Kenny Rennie worked for a
Galashiels company and subbed for Scomo in Cargo livery.

Jimmy Cockhran ( aka Coco ) owned it through one of companies Chirnside Haulage… Kenny was the regular driver… Jimmy Hill who live in Gala and some times Jedburgh drove an F88 for Van Hee, he also took it out a few times as well… My Dad took me to Jimmy’s yard at Yair Bridge to see it when it was new… Quite an event…
Kenny finished his days as the transport manager at Meanetti in Jedburgh… I think there was a connection with Voss… not sure if Jimmy is still about…

Jeff…

Jelliot:
Jimmy Cockhran ( aka Coco ) owned it through one of companies Chirnside Haulage… Kenny was the regular driver… Jimmy Hill who live in Gala and some times Jedburgh drove an F88 for Van Hee, he also took it out a few times as well… My Dad took me to Jimmy’s yard at Yair Bridge to see it when it was new… Quite an event…
Kenny finished his days as the transport manager at Meanetti in Jedburgh… I think there was a connection with Voss… not sure if Jimmy is still about…

Jeff…

Yes Rab Moffat of Scomo knew Jimmie of Chirnside his company did haulage out of Gala Slaughter house
to London and Belgium with lambs and Rab offered him work to Tehran as i recall they painted the truck in cargo colours.
That is about all i can remember.

Gavin McArdle:
Hi all there was a firm with new bright yellow Daf’s running M/E in the 70’s, I cant remember their name. They were involved in a multiple shunt in Syria or Jordan on the way down - they all ran into the back of the first one, I think he was the only one who knew where they were going and the rest were scared of being left behind. We stopped but couldn’t do much as they were quite badly damaged but they said they had the matter in hand. Some months later I was coming out of Kuwait in to Saudi when I saw one of the DAF’s parked at the Kuwaiti customs post, I stopped and walked around and asked the customs about the driver but no-one knew anything so I went on. Later on the DAF caught me up and when we next stopped I asked what had happened? The driver ( very blond hair & a broad accent) said that he had put in his passport and the customs man had asked English? He had replied yes as it was often easier than trying to explain Scotland. The officer then said ‘no English’ he replied yes, this went on for a bit until the officer said ‘no English you no speak English’ So the driver said OK I am Scotlander. The officer said why you have English passport? And promptly arrested him! When I was looking for him they had just received confimation from Kuwait city that it was OK for a Scotsman to have and ‘English’ passport!
Gavin

The only company I can think of in Scotland with Bright Yellow DAfs was AXEWEL Engineering Broxburn they did Middle East.
I think their first drivers were Bertie Brown and Tam Alston, Tam went to Scomo + Eskside Ltd later on. The guy in the pic is Geordie Scott he also worked for Scomo + Eskside Ltd.
If anyone wants any further History and Truck Photographs of Scomo + Eskside Ltd. See their Web Pages at::::

scomo-eskside.org

This is a pic of ex Eskside LHD truck or you could say the easy life after Middle East.

Sorry wrong pic lol Found it now complete with Arabic writing lol

sm.jpg

Scotnat:

Gavin McArdle:
Hi all there was a firm with new bright yellow Daf’s running M/E in the 70’s, I cant remember their name. They were involved in a multiple shunt in Syria or Jordan on the way down - they all ran into the back of the first one, I think he was the only one who knew where they were going and the rest were scared of being left behind. We stopped but couldn’t do much as they were quite badly damaged but they said they had the matter in hand. Some months later I was coming out of Kuwait in to Saudi when I saw one of the DAF’s parked at the Kuwaiti customs post, I stopped and walked around and asked the customs about the driver but no-one knew anything so I went on. Later on the DAF caught me up and when we next stopped I asked what had happened? The driver ( very blond hair & a broad accent) said that he had put in his passport and the customs man had asked English? He had replied yes as it was often easier than trying to explain Scotland. The officer then said ‘no English’ he replied yes, this went on for a bit until the officer said ‘no English you no speak English’ So the driver said OK I am Scotlander. The officer said why you have English passport? And promptly arrested him! When I was looking for him they had just received confimation from Kuwait city that it was OK for a Scotsman to have and ‘English’ passport!
Gavin

The only company I can think of in Scotland with Bright Yellow DAfs was AXEWEL Engineering Broxburn they did Middle East.
I think their first drivers were Bertie Brown and Tam Alston, Tam went to Scomo + Eskside Ltd later on. The guy in the pic is Geordie Scott he also worked for Scomo + Eskside Ltd.
If anyone wants any further History and Truck Photographs of Scomo + Eskside Ltd. See their Web Pages at::::

scomo-eskside.org

Looking at that photo and others, I think that ‘Geordie’ was the one I knew who had earlier worked for Dobsons and was having a break felling timber in 1970 in North Wales.

He had a younger brother who also worked as a feller and had damaged an eye a year or two before, and was worried that it might affect his chances of getting an HGV licence.

In those days, driving a lorry was an aspiration, not a last resort.

Does anybody know anything about Geordie?

John.

KW:
I have in my possession a report from a guy named C.Davies,who,sometime during 1975 travelled with a driver from John McNeil Transport,Moss Street,Glasgow to Tehran.

It is a report that would outline the aspects of middle east transport from the UK,with a view to producing a handbook for M/E drivers and operators published by Ailsa Trucks.

Quote-“Generally the brief is to observe.To go without preconceived ideas.
To collect facts that will be useful to operators and to drivers abroad.To collect experience of the F88 on such a journey-both mechanical and comfort aspects to be considered.
Finally to produce a report of use to Ailsa and operators of TIR vehicles.”

The document goes on to list the various visa’s and documents needed for such a trip,as well as various vaccinations recommended against for example,Smallpox.

It then continues as a sort of diary,with a ferry crossing from Felixstowe to Zeebrugge with TFS (Transport Ferry Service) ending in Tehran 14 days later.
Unfortunately,no driver’s names are given,referring instead to just an initial.

i wonder if it was the same f88 from mcneils that made the trip all the way there,and all the way back,with a tilt on,then had the lot over on its nearside under the bridge on the old london road near calderpark zoo…i can remember seeing it when it happened and the only glass you could see that wasnt covered in red mud was the part the wipers wiped,and a cpl of holes wiped to see the n/side mirror…i did have pics of it but alas,they got lost somewhere between various house moves…it looked pure class,and it never saw a wash from when it left moss rd till it was back again.

Jim,
Geordie Scott lives in Newtown St Boswells has been retired for about 2 year now. You are correct his brother Bill was or maybe still is a woodcutter. Sandy his younger brother who drove for Salvesen , Ashley and a few others passed away a while back
Regards
Brian