Astran / Middle East Drivers

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
7941

Think the worst one I ever met, was the guy that was supposed to be showing me the way it was done, on my first trip.

It was to Abba and they had not built the road yet, so we were the first artics to ever get there. (No one told us this)

We were stuck In Jeddah for a good few days, waiting for other catching up.

We were on a sort of truck park, anyway one day it started raining hard. I could see that we were going to be in a quagmire here. So drove up to the road and spent the night there.

Next morning my “expert”. As I had learned before, had just one method of dealing with adversities, foot flat down, thats the only method he had, no matter the problem.!!

So paddling out of the lagoon, he insisted that I tow him out. Well getting your self out is one thing, towing some one else out as well, is quite another, besides we were not going anywhere anyway and the Saudi sun would soon get rid of the lagoon.

Before I had time to do anything, he’d jumped in my truck and got that stuck as well.

Then he came back blubbering about it all being my fault.

By this time it was just wet sand, so, taking it very gently and a few back and forth es, got my truck back on the road.

The guy was still being very arrogant, but wanted me to get his truck out!!

Obvious first reaction, was. Get stuffed. On the other hand we were not going anywhere, without this load. So I drove it out.

Not trying to sound cleaver, just what a plonker this guy was.

His idea of getting over a mountain on a very rough unmade road, was to floor it and rattle the truck to bits.

Others on that trip, were absolutely disgusting. But I was stuck with them, needing a D9 bulldozer, to move forwards.

They would taunt young girls, on there way home from school, telling them what they would do at them. All in English of course.

Glad I never met that lot again.

Anyway, a couple of us, got invited to the Lang Wimpy pub in Abba, it was just a house in a side street. But inside, it had a copper bar, beer mats, the lot.

Not sure the rabble ever got to go.

Soon after that, I cleared off back to Jeddah, with 50p in my pocket.

The rest of the story has been told before.

7942

It would be nice to know who you are talking about put some names to (THE GUYS) you must know them,no good slagging off a ghost.

Roger Haywood

7943

Let them remain ghosts & save a lot of the huff & puff that we spend a lifetime avoiding because the only thing they are good at is waffle. They all know who they are.
One specialist weekended in Madrid at Freds old place pleaded poverty to an old Belgian driver who bought him an evening meal & lots of booze. He ended up in the Belgians cab that night. In the morning the Belgian driver complained to me that he had let the English driver sleep in his cab only to be woken up in the night by the Brit ‘Wanting to f*ck the hole in my body & now he won’t speak to me!’ Later I walked in on the driver with his mates in the WheelHouse -he turned purple & left.
Another time it was Saturday night in Irun customs parking & raining .I invited 2 English lads into the cab for beers. The skinny one started flirting with the beefy one.‘I’m just a ■■■■.’ He said.They left hand in hand. Next time I see Beefy he is with his wife in the export Thorensen office Dover. He nearly drops dead & pretends to be busy. I was behind skinny later putting in my docs at Dover import- he didn’t know where to look.
And you wonder why I avoided the Brit stranger’s?
They were embarrassing lead weights.

7944

harry:
Let them remain ghosts & save a lot of the huff & puff that we spend a lifetime avoiding because the only thing they are good at is waffle. They all know who they are.
One specialist weekended in Madrid at Freds old place pleaded poverty to an old Belgian driver who bought him an evening meal & lots of booze. He ended up in the Belgians cab that night. In the morning the Belgian driver complained to me that he had let the English driver sleep in his cab only to be woken up in the night by the Brit ‘Wanting to f*ck the hole in my body & now he won’t speak to me!’ Later I walked in on the driver with his mates in the WheelHouse -he turned purple & left.
Another time it was Saturday night in Irun customs parking & raining .I invited 2 English lads into the cab for beers. The skinny one started flirting with the beefy one.‘I’m just a ■■■■.’ He said.They left hand in hand. Next time I see Beefy he is with his wife in the export Thorensen office Dover. He nearly drops dead & pretends to be busy. I was behind skinny later putting in my docs at Dover import- he didn’t know where to look.
And you wonder why I avoided the Brit stranger’s?
They were embarrassing lead weights.

Harry,
I must say you met the Queerest of people on you travels. You really must be more careful. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :laughing: :laughing:
Cheers, Archie.

7945

Archie I attract the lame,the poor ( No Diesel ,No Permit, No Money, No Food )& the crippled (Truck broken-No Spanners) & the sincere advice I would give them was.‘Why don’t you commit suicide?’ I detested the scrounging mongrels.

7946

harry:
Archie I attract the lame,the poor ( No Diesel ,No Permit, No Money, No Food )& the crippled (Truck broken-No Spanners) & the sincere advice I would give them was.‘Why don’t you commit suicide?’ I detested the scrounging mongrels.

Hi Harry.
Very sound advice, I should say or just “Va se Fador.” is a bit more direct :laughing: They are still there though, I suppose.
Cheers, Archie.

7947

Não me venha com essa porra- Filho da puta.but not you Archie…

7948

sinbin31:
It would be nice to know who you are talking about put some names to (THE GUYS) you must know them,no good slagging off a ghost.

Roger Haywood

I would not name them, even if I ever knew there names, but certainly cant remember them now. Mind I was never to good with names anyway.

Many folk could not hack the job, maybe the stress came out as bravado, or I’m a big roughty toughty guy.

Others just abandoned the truck and flew home.

Some seemed to think they were gladiators and just wanted to fight every thing and every body.

The ME certainy brought out the best or the worste in folk.

7949

Just trawling through some mags looking for pictures!

IMG_0012.jpg

7950

Hey cop the Mandator down there, when you see things like that you understand how we once had an Empire! This is from an article about a bloke called Butch Levett, maybe someone knows him?

IMG_0012.jpg

7951

Here’s another, not very clear but might ring a bell, the bloke stood by the F88/89 looks like he’s got a Eagle or something tattoed on his chest?

IMG_0013.jpg

7952

Another memory jogger!

IMG_0014.jpg

7953

Found another one!

IMG_0015.jpg

7954

adr this is why we LOST the empire! lol top pic tho

adr:
Hey cop the Mandator down there, when you see things like that you understand how we once had an Empire! This is from an article about a bloke called Butch Levett, maybe someone knows him?

7955

think it must have had a jack knife! awsome adr keep them coming

adr:
Just trawling through some mags looking for pictures!

7956

Nice pic adr dont tell me no shovel :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Roger

7957

harry:
Não me venha com essa porra- Filho da puta.but not you Archie…

Oi Harry,
Muito obrigado meu amigo, voce fala e entende Portugues bem, :smiley: :smiley:
( although your message was not really the language used by an English Gentleman, don’t you know )
ate logo!, Archie.

7958

sinbin31:
Nice pic adr dont tell me no shovel :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Roger

And by the look of the front bumper no bucket either! :blush:
Regards Chris

7959

brenics77:
adr this is why we LOST the empire! lol top pic tho

adr:
Hey cop the Mandator down there, when you see things like that you understand how we once had an Empire! This is from an article about a bloke called Butch Levett, maybe someone knows him?

Can’t argue with that!!! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

7960

In that top picture there is what looks like an HG Brown Scania 110 cant make out the reg though mine was 104 K i know we had 103 K too that an od bought and got captured in czech after an accident and spent a good stretch behind bars there. Bloke named Cyril from Ramsey - anyone remember him ?