Not much is present on the internet but boy what an effort to be active on the Middle East!
On april 15th 1977 Van Gend & Loos (HQ in Utrecht) and the Afghanistan Government established
the company “Afghan International” with HQ in Kabul and shares were 51% in hand of Afghanistan
Government (represented/headquartered in Kabul) and 49% in hand of Van Gend & Loos head-
quartered in Utrecht. By september 1997 the first chassis (a DAF FTT2800DKS 6x4 tractor and a
DAF ET 18-28 two-axle trailer from the Eurotrailer-series) was handed over. At the right we’ll
see Mr. Grasveld (Manager Direct Export from DAF Trucks) and at the left Mr. Riemersma who
coordinates the transports on behalf of Van Gend & Loos Utrecht.
For this thread it would be nice to gain experiences, pictures and information on this company.
Just a bit of the whole…pictured on the factory-site of DAF Trailers in Geldrop (region of Eindhoven)
The DAF-trailer (ET 18-28 curb weight was 4.860kg) had an internal length of 12.23m and an internal width
of 2.42m hence very dedicated/suited for pallet-transport.
Some of the initially supposed 50 chassis (only 10 were deliverd) had the full package of Trans Orient
with a small kitchen, night heater, kysor, airco, money-vault, visor, protective engine-guards under
the bumper (310hp should be secured to remain productive) and a heavy breakdown-bar mounted just
under the bumper to help out yourself and/or other colleagues.
The trailer had an extra fuel-tank (500 litres)and was not a wide-spread axle-configuration.
Hi ERF.If you look on the ‘middle east’ thread you should find some info about Afghan Int.
I worked for I.T.Holland at that time as we were in partnership with Afghan Int.As i remember they had 12 trucks and we [I.T.Holland had 3].
The Afghan trucks were not fitted with kitchens,only the 3 Dutch trucks.The trucks were sent to England and the kitchens were fitted by a Caravan\camping Company.Mike
hutpik:
Hi ERF.If you look on the ‘middle east’ thread you should find some info about Afghan Int.
I worked for I.T.Holland at that time as we were in partnership with Afghan Int.As i remember they had 12 trucks and we [I.T.Holland had 3].
The Afghan trucks were not fitted with kitchens,only the 3 Dutch trucks.The trucks were sent to England and the kitchens were fitted by a Caravan\camping Company.Mike
Plenty on the Astran / Middle-East thread. I put some there some time ago. Robert
Top Robert! Highly appreciated and this kind of pictures is very rare…Afghan International
started their activities in 1977 but were pretty fast hindered by political irregularities and the
fact that business did not appear to be what was expected, hence ‘only’ 10 out of the initial
‘ordered’ 50 chassis were delivered. It has been said that DAF Trucks/Trailers did not get their
invoices paid for the chassis.
ERF-Continental:
Top Robert! Highly appreciated and this kind of pictures is very rare…Afghan International
started their activities in 1977 but were pretty fast hindered by political irregularities and the
fact that business did not appear to be what was expected, hence ‘only’ 10 out of the initial
‘ordered’ 50 chassis were delivered. It has been said that DAF Trucks/Trailers did not get their
invoices paid for the chassis.
Thanks, A-J! Somewhere on these threads there is a wonderful description of how the European drivers had to train up the Afghan drivers for the job. It might have been on the Astran thread or maybe the '90s and Beyond thread - there are so many similar threads now that it’s difficult to remember. Try typing Afghan International into the ‘search’ window - that should come up with a few lost gems! Robert 
The political problems were not so quick to materialise.I was the first driver employed by I.T.Holland\Afghan Int,and we ran from the beginning of 77 when the first Dutch trucks arrived to the start of 1980 when the Dutch trucks were sold because everything had stopped in Iran and Afghanistan.
Because they were double drive the trucks were too Heavy to use on normal Euro work,we tried on Fransen for a while but it was not feasible.
We were the drivers that had to help the Afghani guys,first at Dafs in Eindhoven then running with several of them for the first trip.
hutpik:
The political problems were not so quick to materialise.I was the first driver employed by I.T.Holland\Afghan Int,and we ran from the beginning of 77 when the first Dutch trucks arrived to the start of 1980 when the Dutch trucks were sold because everything had stopped in Iran and Afghanistan.
Because they were double drive the trucks were too Heavy to use on normal Euro work,we tried on Fransen for a while but it was not feasible.
We were the drivers that had to help the Afghani guys,first at Dafs in Eindhoven then running with several of them for the first trip.
By SHEER coincidence, ya Hutpik, I’ve just cited your journeys in that LV-cabbed ERF of yours to Kuwait on the neighbouring Long Departed Southampton Hauliers thread! Robert 
Mike: that’s true on the too heavy combination, the trailer was 4.860kg and the tractor 8.500kg so pretty
heavy for general haulage…atached a picture made on the home-base of Van Gend & Loos Eindhoven at
the “Fuutlaan” where combinations awaited loading/unloading. For Robert…the FTT2800DKS had a Fuller
13 and the DKS1160 was producing 310hp(2.200revs) and 120mkg(1.500revs) in the late seventies.
ERF-Continental:
Mike: that’s true on the too heavy combination, the trailer was 4.860kg and the tractor 8.500kg so pretty
heavy for general haulage…atached a picture made on the home-base of Van Gend & Loos Eindhoven at
the “Fuutlaan” where combinations awaited loading/unloading. For Robert…the FTT2800DKS had a Fuller
13 and the DKS1160 was producing 310hp(2.200revs) and 120mkg(1.500revs) in the late seventies.
Nice picture and good info! Quick teamwork too jongens. I did drive some of those old 2800s and I must say I would have loved to have taken one to Kandahar or Kabul! Robert
I must be honest and say that when it all stopped i was offered[and tempted]to buy the DAF i had been driving from new 65-36-SB, and go as an owner driver again.It was a good price as they had trouble selling them,but i’m glad to say common sense prevailed.
Didn’t Trucknet member “Whispering smith” drive for these? Im sure he posted a brilliant tale of a run to Afghan in the late 70`s. I think he even took his young son with him 
Amazing trip and story.
Without provoking conflict i must say i hated that bloody gearbox,especially on hills in the winter.The double drive system was a joke too,it was not a conventional diff lock or cross lock system like Volvo or Scania had at that time ,but an ‘‘interaxel lock’’.This worked like a limited slip diff and all the happened was one side locked up and the other side spun.We were chaining up before many single axle trucks in Turkey.
Whispering Smith didn’t drive for Afghan\I.T.Holland.I was the only Englishman on there.
hutpik:
Without provoking conflict i must say i hated that bloody gearbox,especially on hills in the winter.The double drive system was a joke too,it was not a conventional diff lock or cross lock system like Volvo or Scania had at that time ,but an ‘‘interaxel lock’’.This worked like a limited slip diff and all the happened was one side locked up and the other side spun.We were chaining up before many single axle trucks in Turkey.
Whispering Smith didn’t drive for Afghan\I.T.Holland.I was the only Englishman on there.
Good to hear it ‘from the horse’s mouth’, so to speak. The original spec looked impressive on paper though! Robert
It’s funny,but it’s only now looking at that pic that i realise that even as high spec as the trucks were for I.T.\Afghan.the one thing none of them had was the ‘‘Camel bar’’.
hutpik:
It’s funny,but it’s only now looking at that pic that i realise that even as high spec as the trucks were for I.T.\Afghan.the one thing none of them had was the ‘‘Camel bar’’.
Camel bars are as camel bars do, I say! Quite useful in certain parts of Saudi, but by-and-large just a dramatic encumbrance. This is the one I had on a DAF 95 SSC I drove on North Africa work. Looked good but a damned nuisance because I had to ‘step’ it using two spanners every time I wanted to check the levels (ie: daily!). Pictured here in Tangiers. Robert
It’s also now when i look at the truck i realise that for all the so called ‘‘clever people’’ who designed the truck for ‘‘intercontinental’’ travel,just how Little knowledge they actually had.
For example the cab was designed for living in but no thought was given to insulation.all the glass was single glass[including all round the back of the cab].There was no insulation in the roof lining or panels.
Just behind the front wheel were 2 glass bowls for diesel filters which were always freezing up.This on a truck which was designed to run to Turkey,Iran and Afghanistan with winter temps down to -40c.
When i suggested cutting ahole in the exhaust and fitting a butterfly flap so it could blow onto the tank i was quite firmly told by a boss at DAF ‘‘thats dangerous,and its not in the design’’,‘‘nor is freezing to death’’,i replied. 
> bullitt:
> Didn’t Trucknet member “Whispering smith” drive for these? Im sure he posted a brilliant tale of a run to Afghan in the late 70`s. I think he even took his young son with him Amazing trip and story.
No I didn’t drive for them & whilst I took my son on a lot of trips, Afghanistan was one place I wouldn’t take him.
I’d also be reluctant to go anywhere East in a DAF due to the traction problems with the limited slip diff
