Curtain sided vehicles and containers have the same basic construction as
the metal box type except that instead of solid side walls, and in some cases
roofs, they have sliding sheets of flexible textile or plastic material which is
secured by a tensioning rope. This type of construction has not previously
been accepted as customs secure. However, as a result of representations
by the trade and proposals made to the TIR Administrative Committee by
some Contracting Parties, it has been agreed that some new constructions of
curtain sided vehicles can now be approved to move goods under the TIR proceduers
Taken from customs web site
LIKE THE PHOTOS CARROT,SHE WAS A GOOD OLD GIRL, I WONDER IF HARBY AT THE BACK OF ME TRAILER KNOWS HES FAMOUS,AND NOT FORGETING OUR HEAD CHEF NICK,STANDING IN BACK OF TRAILER GARDING HIS KITCHEN IN MOSCOW.FLYING HOME FROM DOHA SATERDAY NIGHT, SEE YA SOON INSHALLA RABBIT…
GS OVERLAND:
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 deisel’s working there. I used to do mobile repairs and recovery.
GS
Yea silwood st thats the one.Cant really remember anyones name as i only came a few times,I remember a wrecker but too many yrs have passed to remember the details.Never came to you when you moved to eveyln st probably because i had left the com.Anyway thanks gs for refreshing my memory.
regards dave.
I never knew anything about trucks going down to the middle east as im only 29 until my wife bought me a book called baghdad trucker when we was going on our summer hols.
Since then ive been looking at things about this on the net ie endin up here. I have bought destination doha and cola cowboys and seen various things on the net. I have noticed the same names of drivers and companys cropping up but noticed none of the destination doha drivers mentioned else where and was wondering were they genuine middle east drivers or were they actors/bbc employes. Or am i just been cynical in these days of tv vote rigging etc
ps was the leyland in destnation doha a popular vehicle for the run as most photos i have seen are scania volvo or merc
Hi Gavin, Here is a blast from the past taken a couple of years ago at a reunion. I’m sure you will recognise a couple of your mentors!!!
.
Regards Jamie
A Scot Lost in the Valley’s.
PS Chamberlain had a holiday in bermuda a couple of years back, i bet your glad you missed him Ha Ha.
kr79:
I never knew anything about trucks going down to the middle east as im only 29 until my wife bought me a book called baghdad trucker when we was going on our summer hols.
Since then ive been looking at things about this on the net ie endin up here. I have bought destination doha and cola cowboys and seen various things on the net. I have noticed the same names of drivers and companys cropping up but noticed none of the destination doha drivers mentioned else where and was wondering were they genuine middle east drivers or were they actors/bbc employes. Or am i just been cynical in these days of tv vote rigging etc
Hi kr79,welcome to the site.
Yes all the drivers on Destination Doha were real drivers.It has been mentioned on here before for guys who are not familiar with the M/E job,that what they tried to show on the film was as much as possible of the problems one COULD encounter during a career of several years,all crammed into a small time frame of one trip.
Most of us never had that many problems in several years,and it was certainly not the sort of problems Astran could expect.
There are several posters on here that were contemporaries of those drivers,but after all these years,apart from one or two on this BB,quite a few have moved to that big truck park in the sky,or,like me,are retired or semi retired and doing a driving job that is not a patch on the glory days of the '70’s and '80’s.
If you read my quote at the beginning of “Baghdad Trucker”,I did say that this was a window in time that a lucky few of us were able to be part of,it will never happen again.
One name that you will see crop up on here of one guy still doing it is Chris Hooper,or “Hooperman” as he is better known.He has been doing the M/E for a good many years,but having said that,he did his first trip in the '80’s shortly before I came off it.
Enjoy the site mate!
A question I suppose for “Rabbit”, Roders or Carrott seeing as you guys have been down that way recently…is it correct that most of the route is now tarmac road as opposed to the dirt tracks etc that we have seen on pictures of east of Istanbul?
Seem to remember reading somewhere a quote from a driver still doing the run (hooperman maybe??) that the roads have changed so much that the run is nowhere near as difficult as it had been and that round trip journey times are now alot quicker!!
The only major problems nowadays were the queues at the borders and waiting for the Syrian convoy!! Out of interest what is the journey time to say, Doha?..and at this time of year given the snow etc??
Any info would be greatly appreciated along with some more recent pics of the run.
Cheers lads,
Bullitt.
G]![http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr268/andycarrot/SL380046.jpg[/IMG]](http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr268/andycarrot/SL380046.jpg%5B/IMG%5D!%5B%5D(http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr268/andycarrot/SL380055.jpg)){kind=link}
these were taken on the syrian border 2008
It was probbaly a great time for you guys to do the run but today with the obvious security conserns it would be different.
Mind you just running abroard is probbaly no fun full stop so i will stick to my local work to keep the wolf from the door
used to see chris hoopers 143 ocasinly parked on the industrial estate at ferry lane on the a 13 and when my mate said he used to run down to M/E thought he was having a wind up.
But as we ran v8 scanias on bulk rubbish work and i was learning the game in a 143 i would think he had the tool for the jo
PS WAS THE LEYLAND A POPULAR M/E TRUCK AS ALL I SEEM TO SEE IS LB SCANIAS F88/89 VOLVOS MERCS AND THE ODD BIG FORD TRANSCONTINENAL (THEY WOULDNT LOOK OUT OF PLACE NOW)
MERRY XMAS
When John Willie started working with the marine company in Doha(I think they were called Intramas). They were Astrans agent at one time. Anyway it appeared that they were the sole importers for i think Mercury outboard motors. With the threat of either useing it or losing it , they offered John a Job. he then had to start this side of the business from scratch. We used to park in the yard behind their offices so often saw john at play. he used an open topped 45 gall drum filled with water to test the outboards in. As he could not demonstrate the outboards they bought him a speadboat. He invited Royston Day (another astran driver that you dont hear much of, last i heard he was driving an aerport taxi from gatwick),and myself to go with him on it’s maiden voyage. There was a large sand bar just off the coast of Doha, where many of the expats went on a friday for a party. John decided that this would fit in nicely with the maiden voyage. The three of us set off on the friday morning towing the boat on trailer behind john’s company car. as we increased speed this clicking noise got faster until pssss ,the valve was ripped out of the o/s wheel on the trailer… John’s assistant had put the wheel on the wrong way round and the valve was on the inside and catching on the mudwing stay. After about an hour john had sourced another wheel and we were on our way. The launch went off uneventful and we spent a few hours at the sandbar socialising with the expats. this is a photo i took just before the launch with John beside his company car. Regards Jamie.
A Scot lost in the Valley’s.
kr79:
…Mind you just running abroard is probbaly no fun full stop …
Well, if you ever get the chance then try it…chances are you will love it more than UK work.
Running around Europe used to be great fun, especially when there were customs procedures and borders to contend with!!
None of that rush rush, “just in time” nonsence …chances are most drivers who have done both would probably rather do European than local uk stuff any day.
The trouble being that nowadays ther are nowhere near as many firms doing it as used to, and the money isnt that great a difference from UK work, but if you like being away from home for long periods, seeing different cultures, learning different languages and love the heat of the med in the summer and the freezing cold of a northern European winter then its brilliant!!
Each to there own of course, but I know which I would choose 
M&C Jamie:
Hi Gavin, Here is a blast from the past taken a couple of years ago at a reunion. I’m sure you will recognise a couple of your mentors!!!
Regards JamieA Scot Lost in the Valley’s.
PS Chamberlain had a holiday in bermuda a couple of years back, i bet your glad you missed him Ha Ha.
Hi Jamie
Thanks for the picture. Its good to see Alan Bremner and Bob Hedley, after all these years.They havnt changed much, just got older. Two Transcon men eh !
That pic of you and the boat brings back memories of those friday trips to the sand bar. One trip me and Mike Walker went out with a load of ex-pats and Mike went mono skiing. He was a really good water skier and after his run, he came towards the bigger boat that I was on and he let go of the ski rope and just ended up on the edge of the boat, leaning on it with one arm and I handed him a beer. It was so cool.
I tried water skiing and ended up having a salt water enema!!!
Funny thing about JW and the Mercury outboards, I have the Mercury dealership down here in Barbados.
How are you doing Jamie ?
Havnt heard from you for a while.
I’m getting back in the saddle for a while in Feb 09, guess where to ?
Best regards and seasons greetings.
GS
Hi GS, is the guy with the blue top on Bob Headley from Ashford (red transcon?) Used to see his motor at Ashford truckstop sometimes. Does he still run a motor?
Well, if you ever get the chance then try it…chances are you will love it more than UK work.
Running around Europe used to be great fun, especially when there were customs procedures and borders to contend with!!
None of that rush rush, “just in time” nonsence …chances are most drivers who have done both would probably rather do European than local uk stuff any day.
The trouble being that nowadays ther are nowhere near as many firms doing it as used to, and the money isnt that great a difference from UK work, but if you like being away from home for long periods, seeing different cultures, learning different languages and love the heat of the med in the summer and the freezing cold of a northern European winter then its brilliant!!
Each to there own of course, but I know which I would choose
[/quote]
if i was still single i would deffintly give it a blast
Does anyone know the current owner of a ex PTS Volvo Globe 6x2 repainted into dark blue, I got talking to him once and mentioned he does sellers down to the Middle East for Astran, and mentioned that Chris Hooper was a very good friend of his. I didnt get his name, but he seemed pretty young to be doing M/E work. Does anyone know who he is?
bullitt:
A question I suppose for “Rabbit”, Roders or Carrott seeing as you guys have been down that way recently…is it correct that most of the route is now tarmac road as opposed to the dirt tracks etc that we have seen on pictures of east of Istanbul?Seem to remember reading somewhere a quote from a driver still doing the run (hooperman maybe??) that the roads have changed so much that the run is nowhere near as difficult as it had been and that round trip journey times are now alot quicker!!
The only major problems nowadays were the queues at the borders and waiting for the Syrian convoy!! Out of interest what is the journey time to say, Doha?..and at this time of year given the snow etc??
Any info would be greatly appreciated along with some more recent pics of the run.
Cheers lads,
Bullitt.
Hi bullitt, please look at ory’s photo of Bolu on the Where Am I page and look at his post Where Was I ( Newmercman Knows it. ) posted on the 10th December.
Apparently, it’s a picture taken near Bolu one of Turkeys most notorious mountains. The old road was one which if ever you had the chance to drive a truck over it you would never forget the experience.
When I saw this picture for some reason I felt a bit sad. 
Did anybody else who drove over Bolu in the seventies or eighties feel the same when they saw the picture.
Regards and a Merry Christmas to all of you.
Steve.
Hi Steve, yes, see what you mean!!..I guess if the road is like that now for most of the route it must make things alot easier nowadays…but not as much fun though!!! 
I didnt know Mark (NMM) had done M/E, well spotted that man!!
Merry xmas to you and yours “down under” Steve, dont get to sun burnt!!