Carrot:
nice pics Andy 
, you got a DAF now ? 
Give us a bit of info with the pics though matey 
trying to nipper, cant seem to get info to come up with pic
Carrot:
Greta pic CARROT
just one question if you don"t mind ā¦how do you get away with running Euroliners / Curtainsides 
was of the understanding all M/E work on tilts due to the TIR Carnet etcā¦forgiive me if i am wrong , just tying to clear something up 
Forgive me if iām wrong but as i understand it, when your running under TIR you are either on an Open (flats and the like) or Enclosed Carnet. The reason tilts have always been popular is down to they were more secure and more flexible than curtains as they could be stripped (those were the days! he says at 29 years old!! Never done one in the desert only rainy old GB!!!) down to flats, but these days i guess its just as easy to use a Euroliner. At least with euroliners you still have your side boards to burn to keep you warm in the winter when the night heater packs up!! You can seal a euroliner just as well as a tilt wha with TIR cords through buckles and stuff.
Whoās trucks are the 57 plate daf, the old FH and the new FH??
Hi all
Euroliners can be used now because the loads are cleared as Open TIR, just like when we had wide or long loads sticking out of the Tilt.
Its just a way around the system. The Saudis still seal the trailer.
GS
Nice pics Carrot, yes come on more info please!!!
Infact I would like to here how alot of you came to get on M/E, come on Gavin.
Ok
Iāve got a bit of time at the moment, so I will explain how I got on the Middle-East.
Put the kettle on and crack open a packet of Rich Tea biscuits, sit comfortable.
In 1980 when I was working as a fitter for Twyford Commercial in Deptford, I met a fellah who was running to Baghdad. He told me some tales, not unlike the ones that have been posted on here at different times. It was then that I decided to " do the Middle-East " I was only 17 at the time so I had a few years to go before I could go for my Class 1.
When I was 18, I did a trip to Rome with a mate and ended up driving most of the way back, via the Brenner. It was a few days before xmas and there was lots of snow. I met one of Falcongateās in a service area and got talking to the driver. I think his name was Jerry. He was on his way home from the middle-east and chatting to him rekindled my idea of becoming a middle east specialist.
But I was still to young so I carried on fixing and recovering commercial vehicles until I was 21.
That was when I took my Class 1 and passed first time after only 5 lessons.
After a short while I started driving for Chilton Transport out of Bow, East London and my aim was to learn all aspects of Class 1 driving, and when I started I explained to Bobby Fox and Jamie the TM that my goal was to become an Owner Driver and pull for Astran.After some time on UK work I started looking for a job doing Europe.
I drove into John Smiths yard in Rainham and got a job doing Italy, Spain and Portugal, with the odd load from yugo.Then after a while I was feeling the need to venture further off the edge of my Euro Atlas and I was offered a job pulling for Roy Bradford running to Istanbul with the odd Ankara thrown in from time to time. I was given an ex Expo Freight LHD 111 belonging to Jimmy Hassan. I drove this for a while and saved enough money for a deposit on a Danish Spec 141 6x2 which some of you probably recognise in my previous posts.
Just aswell I saved the money because Jimmy lost my 111 in a card game and I had to get my gear out when I got back from Turkey.
Hooperman introduced me to an old lady that provided finance, so I found the truck, got the finance and drove the unit to Lawrabians yard and carried on doing Turkey for Roy Bradford. āOā Licence and Permits etc were provided and I just cracked on for what seemed like years. By this time I was 23 yrs old. When I turned 25 I was reffered to Astran by Alan Bremner and Bob Hedley, and after an interview, I was given my loading instructions. I arranged to buy a middle east spec trailer from David Hogg, and bounced up north solo to pick it up. I met up with Gary Glass and we both loaded together at Astranās in Sevenoaks, and off we went to Doha. The rest is History and the best years of my working career.
I hope that you enjoyed my tale.
Regards
GS
G S.
The name twyfords rings a bell.Was the workshop under an arch,and did you used to back up a narrow alley with cars parked e/were to get to it.?Did you used to do recovery as well? Forgive all the questions but if all this is correct i used to come there for repairs when i worked for fred snaylam in bolton late 70s early 80s.
regards dave.
GS OVERLAND:
Hi all
Euroliners can be used now because the loads are cleared as Open TIR, just like when we had wide or long loads sticking out of the Tilt.
Its just a way around the system. The Saudis still seal the trailer.
GS
Thanks for clearing that up GS , now all i need is to find out who is running down there now
GS OVERLAND:
I was given an ex Expo Freight LHD 111 belonging to Jimmy Hassan.Regards
GS
Can you remember the reg of the 111?
It wasnāt this one by any chance?
Hi Ian
As Iāve written in an earlier post, the 111 was WOO 704S, I know that you remember it. I think Hooperman may have driven it at one time.
GS
dafdave:
Hi Dave
You mean when Twyfords were in the arches in Silwood St, it was very narrow and then we moved to Evelyn St in Deptford which was an old petrol station with a workshop and a forecourt.
Do you remember the old ERF wrecker with the Holmes wrecking gear. What a tool, 240 Gardner with David Brown box and 2 speed axle.I learnt how to double d clutch in that. There was a bloke called Don in charge of the workshop, he had an old XJ 12 Jag and was always filthy, lived out Windsor way I think.
I learnt a hell of a lot about deiselās working there. I used to do mobile repairs and recovery.
GS
Hi G S, Was that bloke Don at Evelyn St. Don Alexander? a real nice guy to work with, but a real handful when there was bother, an English Irishman.
GS OVERLAND:
Hi IanAs Iāve written in an earlier post, the 111 was WOO 704S, I know that you remember it. I think Hooperman may have driven it at one time.
GS
Thatās right.at the time I was at Expo,YHJ 10S was my first motor until I was promoted to the 142.
WOO 704S was driven by a lad from Brum named Jim Coton,known as Jimbo.(Now a truck salesman for MAN ),Hooperman may have had that at some time,canāt be sure.
Interesting story GS, youāre a couple of years older than me, I shouldāve got my arse into gear earlier on and found someone doing European/ M/E earlier! (before Iād got collared by the missus!) When we got some work to Turkey, the guvāner subbed it out to Schenkers, I was gutted! Never got the break with M/E, but it was something iād wanted to do since a nipper. Donāt know if youāve seen my other posts, but you never came across a guy with a 111/141 (canāt remember which!) called Derek Martin doing M/E did you? He was part of the reason for my driving career.
Were you by any chance slim, tall, light brown hair and glasses? I remember in early '90ās standing on āthe stairsā at Dover at some ungodly hour with 36 T2ās to clear, talking to an o/d off to Istanbul and Izmir, similar age to me. Couldāve been you?
Regards,
Brookie.
Mr 141:
You can seal a euroliner just as well as a tilt wha with TIR cords through buckles and stuff.
The problem with this is that you couldnāt get a Euroliner or curtainsider through a GV60 examination, remember when any tilt repairs had to be outlined in another colour and when closed no outside light should be visible inside.
Clearly the GV60 has either been dropped or changed, Iād genunely like to know myself since when have euroliners been allowed on TIR work?
Ross.
The loads are cleared as " Open TIR " which gets round the need for a GV 60.
GS OVERLAND:
The loads are cleared as " Open TIR " which gets round the need for a GV 60.
Thatās definately one possibility but I recently read an article about a Brit haulier loading Italy to M/E and as the load was bundles of prefabricated steel and dificult to strap he chose to go with āopen TIRā so he could re-open the curtains to re tighten the spansets as the load settled. (which he had to do a number of times) This would suggest that as he elected āopenā he couldāve cleared it āclosedā?
Ross.
Thanks for that Gavin, I should have followed my dream. I passed my test in 75, but couldnāt get on anywhere doing M/E, by the time I had some experience, the family came along, so I never got further than Italy, Spain, and the like.