Well i got loaded from the warehouse in barking, it was our transport yard and warehouse at the time i worked as an o/d for lawrabian freight…well roy bradford had sold out to a Bulgarian Company and Fred Topham was the manager and i believed he had shares in the firm.
Roy was told under the terms of the deal that he wasnt allowed to operate another company for at least 6 months, but he promised he would be in touch…and then we would all work for him again but under another name…
After loading i went into the office for the papers and carnet and was told i had 5 drops Czech. Hungary. Romania. Bulgaria.and Yugoslavia…but they told me not to start the carnet until i reached Hungary…i told them it couldnt be done…the carnet had to be started at dover…when they told me it had been done loads of times…i set off…what they in fact meant was finish the carnet in Hungary and run on T forms for the rest ie rumo.bulgy…yugo…
anyway i got going and did my first drop in czech…and as it was approaching the new year decided i would get a couple of repairs done and stay in a hotel for the new year, I had noticed that there was very little traffic on the road regarding trucks, but i did see a couple of brits running in convoy and assumed they would new year in germany or maybe even the cheb hotel i was hoping to meet a brit or two in the town i was in, but no joy at this time. the hotel was just down the road from the mechanics yard, and so i walked down and booked in.
I went to the bar, had a couple of beers, and wanted to visit the disco, there was a small group of lads outside who wanted to go in and after talking to them decided i would pay for them, they thanked me after they were in and even bought me a beer, i left the disco after a couple of hours and went for a lie down…the next morning i was woken by the telephone ringing…it was the mechanic…so i called him up.he explained that my truck had been broken into and we had to visit the police station…
so after a shower…some breakfast of omelette and toast. i met him back at his house…he had a bit of business to attend to and while he was doing that i looked at the truck…the side window had been broken and after re-assurance that it will be replaced, got in to check what was missing…i had only taken some clothing with me in a small holdall, and left the rest there…on checking i noticed that a couple of jumpers, shirts, and jeans was missing…plus small items that were on the dash such as a lighter…calculator…stapler…pen knife etcand it made me wonder if it wasnt kids, it didnt amount to much and certainly wouldnt stop me from doing the trip.
Stefan arrived outside and said we had to visit a small cafe just up the road as the owners daughter knew something we should know. we ordered a couple of beers while waiting for the daughter who when she appeared seemed about 18 years old and spoke very good english. She explained that a boy of about 16 was the culprit and he had done this before…and he was a gypsy…she told us that she had reported him to the police, and he had been arrested.
At the police station we were ushered into an interview room where we went through the normal formalities and eventually was taken into the same room as the accused…little did i know that the accused was the same boy who i had paid for to get into the disco…i explained this and the policeman gave him a clump round the back of the head, and then took him outside to where they drove him to where he had hidden the stolen items…everything was recovered…and the clothes were still folded…however they did ask me to stick around for the court case and asked me for the value of the said items as that was how they would state their case…on value rather than list all the items i did explain that i couldnt wait too long as i had work to do and would be leaving the day after new years day.
We went back to the truck and replaced everything and had lunch before i went back to the hotel leaving the mechanic to sort out the window, a broken spring and some electrics. It was new years eve now and i was going to enjoy it even if i was on my own, and i declined the offer of staying with my mechanic and his family. I had a shower and changed and headed for the bar to warm up, the receptionist told me that the disco was open and it would be full tonight but as a guest i had priority and issued me with a ticket.
i went to the restaurant as there was no point in drinking with an empty stomach and after eating i went into the disco. it was getting quite full and there was a few people with bottles of champagne, walking around and i managed to strike a conversation with a few of them, i dont know to this day how i managed to get hold of 2 bottles to myself…but i did…and i ended up very inebriated…■■■■■■■■■■ i got to the stage where i had had enough…there was a young lady who took my fancy…and i to her it turns out for we ended up in my room with 3 half empty bottles of champagne…which we demolished before getting into bed…
well i did and she seemed to be in the shower for ages, which gave me time to hide my wallett and my money…i wont bore you all with the mind blowing experience that i had.but i woke up in the morning with her dressed and waiting for her money which i never gave to her…only her bfh…bus fare home.from the loose change i had in my pocket and lied that my wallett had been stolen…what a cad i am…
eventually my mechanic appeared and i told him i couldnt get rid of her…but he did…the truck was ready he told me and we went for breakfast and back to his place where i met a fellow brit another owner driver called Mick Fuller,
we had a couple of beers together and he too booked into the hotel whilst he had repairs done and i left the next morning to head for the Romanien border at Raika…there had been a few changes made since the new year…t
he rumos used to import their goods into the customs sheds and never paid the import duties until they needed the goods…or sometimes only taking a percentage of the goods and paying as they went along the duties.so they decided that all goods imported had to pay the duties there and then…now my delivery had a huge import duty to be paid…the importers were on holiday for another week…and couldnt be found…so i had to sit and wait…
the border is a very desolate place at the best of times…let alone sit there for a week…but there were a small restaurant and duty free shops so i was ok…i met many brits who were travelling home and they stopped for a chat as they always did, including Noddy Bob who worked for Brooks but it was still a lonely place…and cold with lots of snow on the ground and still falling,
after a few days an agent contacted me to say they had found someone to pay the duty…but he had to go to bucharest first to get a cheque…and then i was to tip in Cluj Napoca…2 more days and i finally met him…but after he sorted out the customs.i told him i wouldnt move until he promised me the extra diesel for running out of my way which amounted to 40 gallons…we eventually left the border without having registered the other 2 drops…Bulgaria…Yugoslavia…but i would worry about them later…
as far as customs were concerned i only had one drop…as that was all the paperwork i showed them …the invoices…and no carnet…but as we were in the middle of the town in Cluj my brakes decided to freeze up…right across the main intersection of the tramway…i had police …the public…all shouting at me to move…to get off the tramway…even opening the passenger door thinking thats where the driver was…only to be greeted by this romanien company employee…who was sh…scared…of course like a true brit i started swearing a few expletives at the police…whilst trying to bash the granny out of the air pipes and tanks at the side of the truck…until they cracked as they spurted their chunks of ice into the tank…like a bullett fired into a tin can…
but that was good enough…i could move…we stoped half a kilometer away on a residential housing estate…and he explained that this is where we will stay until monday…it was his house…and he was married with a young baby…the house wasnt complete as he was trying to build it with what little money he had bit by bit…adding a few extra bricks as and when.
i was introduced to his wife and she made the coffee whilst we went over to the truck to make sure i didnt freeze up again over the weekend…so poured the usual bottle of spirit down the air lines and into the main tanks…the fuel would be ok as i had petrol mixed with the diesel and that wouldnt be a problem.
I had a good weekend including visiting their family up in the mountains who owned a farm and i even got to drive the horses with one of those typical romanien carts that looked like something from the wild west…however i was left on my own on sunday night in the flat whilst they went to stay with their relatives who i had met on the saturday…now can you imagine such hospitality in the west ?..
well monday came and we set off for the factory where i off loaded and drank coffee while the workers filled my tanks with diesel…to the brim with cherry…but who cares…we said our goodbyes and i set off for bucharest and a friend of mine Rudi…he was a good friend who used to supply me with diesel when i needed it but i would always stop to say hello…have a meal…and meet up with other brits who used to park at the same safe place…sure enough there were 2 other brits parked so i had to cancel once again…and go into town for a few beers and a meal …and maybe some fun…
Roy Axle had his own flat there with a girl called Julie…it was a flat that used to house the soldiers of the old Ceachescu…chow chescoo.or however you spell it…once he had been toppled…(i was there when the revolution started ) but thats another story…i mentioned the fact that i wil have problems at the border because of my carnet…but as always Rudi always knew someone who could fix things…either someone with a stamp…or someone who could make one…i dont know how he did it…but my carnet looked good enough to fool anyone all stamped up and although one never asked the whys or what fors…we got the job done…and we all set off together for Giorgiu or the Bulgarian Ruse (russe)…
once around the Bucharest ring road you have to re-join the main highway…there is a bridge in the mioddle of the road…with steep sides…always reminded me of when this road was flooded and one of our drivers (Dirty ■■■■) from penge in south london thought that if he went fast enough he could get through the water and out the other side…Wrong…the turbo blew up…the engine was flooded…and it came to an abrupt stop with ■■■■ having to swim for it.or stay there forever till the water subsides…but thats another story…
the truck did not make it back to the uk…but ■■■■ did.by plane…i eventually made the border…and after queing for about 12 hours because of the volume of trucks waiting…eventually got into Ruse and parked for yet another night on the ■■■■ with the other brit drivers…turks…russians.bulgarians…and of course the local mafia and the street girls…more later…
