Bang on Roger…I agree with all you have said… 
Syria was always naughty, it was difficult too choose between there and Iraq, I have been on the wrong end of a Kalashnikov more than once with some 5.hit head pointing it at me 
especially around 1982 when the Hama massacre took place.
I was running with Geoff Frost when that body was thrown out of the car in front of him in the hope of making it look like he had been killed by a truck…
ATVB…RDF
Well ladies,just arrived at Haditha,everything going good,only been out ten days and hoping to tip in dammam tomorrow…Syria,besides the snipers on the rooftops and a huge ammount of tanks lining the carriage way at Homs,not to forget the bridges overhead full of troops checking your convoy card through binocoulars,it was i have to say very good for the heart so to speak…Pulled into homs for less than 2 mins(very nice) and given an emergency telephone number (just in case)as there is no actual convoy and your left to transit alone,so quickly made my way to damascus,again military road blocks entering and exeting the city,lots of plain clothes military with machine guns etc,but all good.Then just before deraa we were greated with a rocket laurncher on the side of the road which was not for show.Got to go now for inspection.
HomoFaber:
Wheel Nut:
Wasn’t the reason for the Brits getting much of the work originally because Hungarocamion couldn’t get them. I seem to remember something where Hungarocamion employed some British drivers just to service a contract.Perhaps the same lot that drove for Uzun Arac?
Hungarocamion had a daughter co./joint-venture in Iran, IMT (Iran Majaristan Transport?), blue MB NGs on IR plates with IR drivers.
Gulf Europa was another of Hungarocamion’s “brands”, j-v with a Kuwaiti co., F88s pulling Eylert or Blumhardt fridges, not sure where the trucks were registered or who drove them (doubt Arabs did).
Apart from Grad Linz they also (part-) owned Peklar Wien and Eurocar Trieste, AT/IT regs and drivers.
Transcamion and Hungaromosa were yet another ones, HU plates and drivers
Uzun Arac is Turkish for Long Vehicle!!! 
Phil just missed the hot stuff, apparently Homs got shelled this morning.
Astrankev:
Uzun Arac is Turkish for Long Vehicle!!!
No, it’s always been the largest Turkish haulage company, second one being Nakliyat
Astrankev:
Uzun Arac is Turkish for Long Vehicle!!!
Do you still get many loads for Ausfahrt? 
I was wondering about this emergency number, is anyone going to actually answer that phone, or leave him to his own devices?
Pictures would be great if you are brave enough Phil, but don’t end up as a political hostage or spy on my account
Did try to take photos,but bein watched didnt rearly help my concentration,better look next time i hope.Just as we left damascus the militry had gone into an area were suspected terrorist were thought to be,so just missed that.Anyways just done my inspectionand got my release note,5 hours start to finish and swerved the jeehaz/exray so leaving in half hour,thats after reapolstering my seat Kevin…LOL.
Photos are not a good idea under the circumstances ,phil might end up on the wrong end of the camera ,on his knees begging for his life ,dont bother Phil or any other driver your word on events is good enough .remember you never know who is looking at this site 
Roger Haywood,
sinbin31:
Photos are not a good idea under the circumstances ,phil might end up on the wrong end of the camera ,on his knees begging for his life ,dont bother Phil or any other driver your word on events is good enough .remember you never know who is looking at this siteRoger Haywood,
This is quite true ! Im glad somebody is using there heads,information is gathered for intelligence from allsorts of means and measures,and of course theres your own Per/Sec…good luck to all that travel far and very wide !
mushroomman:
dreva:
mushroomman:
Reddesertfox:
m & c ntc:
Well spoken Reddessertfox ! ntcThanks NTC…….In essence and as you know, ME overland transport filled that gap between expensive Air Freight and slow Sea Freight, so from a clients point of view, if it cannot be done at a competitive price and arrive at destination quicker than Sea Freight why have it trucked or are we all getting confused…
All the best and keep well…RDF
Yes Red, this thread did seem to be going off track by a long way
. I am surprised that nobody has suggested driving overland to Cape Town and then putting the truck onto a ship to Oman
Have you heard anything about a stronger military presence escorting the convoy across Syria from where you are ?
And did anybody ever enquire about that Astran driver who took the guy from The B.B.C. down to The Middle East as I would of liked to hear those radio programmes.Regards Steve.
dont you mean steve when radio 4 i think did a charity auction for breakfast in babylon.one of peterleas trucks took an old boy down there who won the auction the driver was lawrence kiely got the mag somewhere.it wasnt long after or it was during the time when that times reporter farsan basoff was killed by the iraqis for spying.think thats how you spell his name
No Dreva, I meant if anybody had made any enquires to The B.B.C. about getting a copy of the programmes that were made about an Astran driver who took a guy from The B.B.C. down to The Middle East as I would of liked to hear those programmes.
i didnt know they had gone down in a wagon mate
Phil Mac has delivered in Saudi!! ( 9 days from loading in Italy!!!) and now off to Doha to fly home.
What delays in Syria■■?
This weeks Commercial Motor is running a “Long Distance Diary” feature on the route taken by Astran trucks, penned by Roger “Rabbit” Gool … I never knew he could write so well!!!
they have ghost writers mate
what do you know about it i was with roger when he wrote it
nice one if I remember his spelling was like mine bad
Roger Haywood
As V8 Lenny mentioned Aqaba a couple of pages ago I thought that I would post a couple of photos that I took last year on the way to Petra.
Regards Steve.
Steve
Was that the trip you did, when you went via the Oman 
RDF
Roger, your spelling can’t be that bad, when you spelt ‘’ duel’’ carridgeway when talking about driving in Syria you were quite correct it was a question of winners and losers on the road.
Chazzer
Hi, you can sleep easy my friend as i am now the proud owner of this truck and am in the process of restoring her.Dont suppose you have any info on her do you ?Many thanks Dave.
hey roger where were you taking that tank when you were going over the derna pass i was in wavell barracks benghazi 1962/65
Reddesertfox:
SteveWas that the trip you did, when you went via the Oman
RDF
Thats the one Red, I was on that boat for twenty seven days I didn’t want to get off it in the end, I still remember The Pirate Drill .
B.T.W. did you ever hear about an Astran driver who took somebody from the B.B.C. down to The Middle East to make a radio programme or was that a Mocamp Myth 
.
Regards Steve.
Not sure about Astran and the ME
I took a guy from BBC Radio 4, tipped Ljubljana and popped over to Caransebes to pick up some furniture.
Cab and me pretty much wired all of the time, even on the border.
The recording after being cut and edited was later aired on Radio 4 over 3 sessions. “I have the tapes”
The only problem was the reporter suffered from B.O.
Regards RDF