The first big one

EVZONI - GEVGELIA

Trailer D45 with a belly full of apparently subsidised Russian fuel, a terminating & a transit permit for Yugoslavia and a Fax pulled by an ex scrapyard Saviem, so far, so good. Empty into Yugoslavia and a load of dried prunes for Montrose. Carl had told me about this factory and cannot remember where the hell it was. I do remember arriving in the village and it was a holiday but the very old lady gatekeeper in black funeral attire let me park outside and offered her services. these services being coffee and orange juice to wash it down, a company shower and a crusty cob. Andy and myself were out exploring and were invited to a wedding, the whole town were out, it was a special day for someone. We got back to the lorry and having eaten plenty, went to bed.

6am, the black widow was banging on the door, come, come, CMR, Carnet TIR, passport, parking… We went in, took a company shower and I drove the truck inside. I passed a red Scania on English plates who looked as though he had beaten us, loaded and ready to leave. Andy did his chat up lines with some fairly butch women, most of whom had been dressed up at a wedding yesterday, they now looked like coal miners or dockers in corporate workwear. I reversed onto a home made wooden ramp to the direction of a rather butch woman and a couple of blokes, it seemed as though the blokes were just at work to make numbers up, while the girls did the hard graft

Within a couple of hours the trailer was full of paper sacks containing prunes.