sinbin31:
Harry
What a nice chap u are not I made a statement which was fitting to this thread if you want to abuse the drivers who did a job which most drivers at this present time would not be able to cope with SOD OFF 
and put it somewhere else with all your other stupid idiots ,The ME was an era of trucking history and for some memories linger on, dont nock it of how much you got paid ,because your prob telling stories ,what I said was not being nasty but if thats what u want so be it I dont give a sht about you ,and your stories ,If a vote was placed on here I think you would be outvoted your mocking many of my freinds who are no longer with us and I dont take kindly to that ,so lets drop it now because this thread was not designed for this kind of abuse.
Roger Haywood
I read this post three days ago as I am slowly working my way through this great thread, but I will take you up on this post about ââmost driversââ being unable to cope with ME driving nowadays, my thoughts would be that Astrans are still in business so somebody is driving the lorrys and in the seventies there would of been many drivers who were unfit for the job also, infact I think if it wasnât for the worry of âleadâ travelling towards you nowadays that Astrans would spend longer turning away drivers than they would booking work.
puntabrava:
sinbin31:
Harry
What a nice chap u are not I made a statement which was fitting to this thread if you want to abuse the drivers who did a job which most drivers at this present time would not be able to cope with SOD OFF and put it somewhere else with all your other stupid idiots ,The ME was an era of trucking history and for some memories linger on, dont nock it of how much you got paid ,because your prob telling stories ,what I said was not being nasty but if thats what u want so be it I dont give a sht about you ,and your stories ,If a vote was placed on here I think you would be outvoted your mocking many of my freinds who are no longer with us and I dont take kindly to that ,so lets drop it now because this thread was not designed for this kind of abuse.
Roger Haywood
I read this post three days ago as I am slowly working my way through this great thread, but I will take you up on this post about ââmost driversââ being unable to cope with ME driving nowadays, my thoughts would be that Astrans are still in business so somebody is driving the lorrys and in the seventies there would of been many drivers who were unfit for the job also, infact I think if it wasnât for the worry of âleadâ travelling towards you nowadays that Astrans would spend longer turning away drivers than they would booking work.
Hullo puntabrava,
Of course there would be many drivers knocking on the door at Astran, and many other companies as well. If there was still the loads in the quantity that there were in those days. If you sit and ponder a bit longer on Rogerâs post, then it will become more clear to you. Nowdays there are no delays at Customs through Europe, depending on your route. This of course makes the job a whole lot easier, then of course when you are transiting Turkey there are now proper roads, real roads not the Dirt Roads of the early seventies, no big muddy holes to negotiate, Zhako to Mosel, Baghdad is also a good road. Because of this flying âleadâ that you speak of the Lads that are still on the job are sailing fron Iskenderun to Port Said in Egypt. Although they are not going to Iraq, and obviously they cannot transit Syria and Jordan, because of the war thatâs going on. They do get quite a bit of a delay waiting for the Ferry Boats, but then again the roads are good in Egypt. Even more important is the fact that the Trucks nowdays are so much more advanced, go to a Vintage Truck Show and you will see for youself the type of thing that was being used 40 years ago (probably older than you), so as I said you just ponder a bit longer on this. Roger is quite correct in what he says on the subject. He was after all there doing the job, as were many more of us.
Cheers, Archie.
Like you Archie, I speak to Keith regularly, so I know that job still ainât easy, the roads may have changed for the better and the border delays have gone along with the borders, but the waiting is still there, not just at the boats from Turkey to Egypt and then on to Saudi, but the wait between loads is also enough to drive you madâŚor skint if itâs your only source of income.
They also travel light as theyâre one way now, so not only are they short of creature comforts, theyâre also taking unknown lorries a long way with no spares or tools, it is different kind of hard work now, but the same factors apply, as old grumpy said, thereâs not many that could do the job, even todayâŚ
I didnât manage to do it untill the mid 90âs, and I cover it in my 3rd book. It definatly wasnât like what I had heard from the old school and not what I had read about back in the day, not that I was expecting it to be even though I would have loved to done it back then.
FH 500 at 34 tons to Amman, was my first run in that direction and it never left a sealed surface all the way there and back. For the best part, good roads, and everything was either pre paid or done with the company card. I got as far as Muscatt, I was exited to finally be there as it had been a life long ambition. In my book I documented it but was struggeling to make it exiting as really nothing happened. I did both destinations many times and never tired form them, appart from the winter in Turkey I never really had any hassels either.
Jeff
Jelliot:
I didnât manage to do it untill the mid 90âs, and I cover it in my 3rd book. It definatly wasnât like what I had heard from the old school and not what I had read about back in the day, not that I was expecting it to be even though I would have loved to done it back then.
FH 500 at 34 tons to Amman, was my first run in that direction and it never left a sealed surface all the way there and back. For the best part, good roads, and everything was either pre paid or done with the company card. I got as far as Muscatt, I was exited to finally be there as it had been a life long ambition. In my book I documented it but was struggeling to make it exiting as really nothing happened. I did both destinations many times and never tired form them, appart from the winter in Turkey I never really had any hassels either.
Jeff
Jeff,
What are the book titles of those that you have written?
David 
I have 3 that are ready to go for publishing at the moment, I have a thread on here about writing and stories. Iâm hoping to get the first one available for the end of July. Once I get that one under way itâll just be a case of following on with the rest, theyâre all written, and the art work is done, all I have to do now is stop mucking about with them.
Jeff
Archie Paice:
puntabrava:
sinbin31:
Harry
What a nice chap u are not I made a statement which was fitting to this thread if you want to abuse the drivers who did a job which most drivers at this present time would not be able to cope with SOD OFF and put it somewhere else with all your other stupid idiots ,The ME was an era of trucking history and for some memories linger on, dont nock it of how much you got paid ,because your prob telling stories ,what I said was not being nasty but if thats what u want so be it I dont give a sht about you ,and your stories ,If a vote was placed on here I think you would be outvoted your mocking many of my freinds who are no longer with us and I dont take kindly to that ,so lets drop it now because this thread was not designed for this kind of abuse.
Roger Haywood
I read this post three days ago as I am slowly working my way through this great thread, but I will take you up on this post about ââmost driversââ being unable to cope with ME driving nowadays, my thoughts would be that Astrans are still in business so somebody is driving the lorrys and in the seventies there would of been many drivers who were unfit for the job also, infact I think if it wasnât for the worry of âleadâ travelling towards you nowadays that Astrans would spend longer turning away drivers than they would booking work.
Hullo puntabrava,
Of course there would be many drivers knocking on the door at Astran, and many other companies as well. If there was still the loads in the quantity that there were in those days. If you sit and ponder a bit longer on Rogerâs post, then it will become more clear to you. Nowdays there are no delays at Customs through Europe, depending on your route. This of course makes the job a whole lot easier, then of course when you are transiting Turkey there are now proper roads, real roads not the Dirt Roads of the early seventies, no big muddy holes to negotiate, Zhako to Mosel, Baghdad is also a good road. Because of this flying âleadâ that you speak of the Lads that are still on the job are sailing fron Iskenderun to Port Said in Egypt. Although they are not going to Iraq, and obviously they cannot transit Syria and Jordan, because of the war thatâs going on. They do get quite a bit of a delay waiting for the Ferry Boats, but then again the roads are good in Egypt. Even more important is the fact that the Trucks nowdays are so much more advanced, go to a Vintage Truck Show and you will see for youself the type of thing that was being used 40 years ago (probably older than you), so as I said you just ponder a bit longer on this. Roger is quite correct in what he says on the subject. He was after all there doing the job, as were many more of us.
Cheers, Archie.
Thank you for your reply Archie. I fail to understand how delays at borders and rough roads would render the work to be difficult to cope with (confused, no smiley) As for trucks, many of the vehicles in the pics are 100 series Scanias, i have owned the 112 below for 20 years and operated for a few months every year during harvest over difficult terrain 
i still take umbridge to Sinbins remarks and say that i feel there are many drivers around now who could do the same work.
Do you have any more pics of the 112? Interesting rear wheels and body
Fatbeerboy:
Do you have any more pics of the 112? Interesting rear wheels and body
I have some more but they are all more or less the same, is just stretched and Ag wheels put on it to grip. Is always better to carry a load than drag it and the 112 will go anywhere loaded.
Hullo,
Thank you for your reply Archie. I fail to understand how delays at borders and rough roads would render the work to be difficult to cope with (confused, no smiley) As for trucks, many of the vehicles in the pics are 100 series Scanias, i have owned the 112 below for 20 years and operated for a few months every year during harvest over difficult terrain i still take umbridge to Sinbins remarks and say that i feel there are many drivers around now who could do the same work.
Well there you go, everybody has there own conception of the job and thatâs healthy I think. I must say though that your 112 Scania, adapted in a really business like fashion, complete with a tipping body is quite a fantastic piece of Gear , a credit to you. However I do agree with you that Astrans and many others did have the 100 series Scanias. These though were 110âs , ten or a bit more years older than your Scania, and of course there were many even older and certainly more uncomfotable Trucks going back and forth. Now I think you must agree that driving a couple of kilometers over a field of stubble and up a Farm Track, then going home to tea, is really no comparison to driving over a thousand kilometers with 20 tons on a tandem axle 40â Trailer on unmetaled roads and Sand. And then eating out of your Trailer Box. Yes ? So back to Rogerâs opinion, do you now see where heâs coming from ? ( Thatâs enough S⌠S⌠for today, eh? 
)
Cheers, Archie.
puntabrava:
Archie Paice:
puntabrava:
sinbin31:
Harry
What a nice chap u are not I made a statement which was fitting to this thread if you want to abuse the drivers who did a job which most drivers at this present time would not be able to cope with SOD OFF and put it somewhere else with all your other stupid idiots ,The ME was an era of trucking history and for some memories linger on, dont nock it of how much you got paid ,because your prob telling stories ,what I said was not being nasty but if thats what u want so be it I dont give a sht about you ,and your stories ,If a vote was placed on here I think you would be outvoted your mocking many of my freinds who are no longer with us and I dont take kindly to that ,so lets drop it now because this thread was not designed for this kind of abuse.
Roger Haywood
I read this post three days ago as I am slowly working my way through this great thread, but I will take you up on this post about ââmost driversââ being unable to cope with ME driving nowadays, my thoughts would be that Astrans are still in business so somebody is driving the lorrys and in the seventies there would of been many drivers who were unfit for the job also, infact I think if it wasnât for the worry of âleadâ travelling towards you nowadays that Astrans would spend longer turning away drivers than they would booking work.
Hullo puntabrava,
Of course there would be many drivers knocking on the door at Astran, and many other companies as well. If there was still the loads in the quantity that there were in those days. If you sit and ponder a bit longer on Rogerâs post, then it will become more clear to you. Nowdays there are no delays at Customs through Europe, depending on your route. This of course makes the job a whole lot easier, then of course when you are transiting Turkey there are now proper roads, real roads not the Dirt Roads of the early seventies, no big muddy holes to negotiate, Zhako to Mosel, Baghdad is also a good road. Because of this flying âleadâ that you speak of the Lads that are still on the job are sailing fron Iskenderun to Port Said in Egypt. Although they are not going to Iraq, and obviously they cannot transit Syria and Jordan, because of the war thatâs going on. They do get quite a bit of a delay waiting for the Ferry Boats, but then again the roads are good in Egypt. Even more important is the fact that the Trucks nowdays are so much more advanced, go to a Vintage Truck Show and you will see for youself the type of thing that was being used 40 years ago (probably older than you), so as I said you just ponder a bit longer on this. Roger is quite correct in what he says on the subject. He was after all there doing the job, as were many more of us.
Cheers, Archie.
Thank you for your reply Archie. I fail to understand how delays at borders and rough roads would render the work to be difficult to cope with (confused, no smiley). As for trucks, many of the vehicles in the pics are 100 series Scanias, i have owned the 112 below for 20 years and operated for a few months every year during harvest over difficult terrain i still take umbridge to Sinbins remarks and say that i feel there are many drivers around now who could do the same work.
Iâm completely dumbfounded that someone could make such an ignorant statment, are you deliberatly trying to wind folk upâ â ? Go back through this thread or any other thread about M/E or any other ultra long haul trucking, have a look at the photos, read the comments, try and educate yourself before you go any farther.
I was head hunted in the 90âs by the company I went to work for because in their own country there wasnât anyone willing to step up to the plate. Out of all of Europe and Scandanavia they only managed to find about 11 drivers that were willing and able to actually do the job continuously.
There were only a few other drivers at the time doing similar work, many dreamers perhaps, but when it was time to actually do the job there werenât that many.
Jeff
Jelliot:
puntabrava:
Archie Paice:
puntabrava:
sinbin31:
Harry
What a nice chap u are not I made a statement which was fitting to this thread if you want to abuse the drivers who did a job which most drivers at this present time would not be able to cope with SOD OFF and put it somewhere else with all your other stupid idiots
Iâm completely dumbfounded that someone could make such an ignorant statment, are you deliberatly trying to wind folk upâ â ? Go back through this thread or any other thread about M/E or any other ultra long haul trucking, have a look at the photos, read the comments, try and educate yourself before you go any farther.
I was head hunted in the 90âs by the company I went to work for because in their own country there wasnât anyone willing to step up to the plate. Out of all of Europe and Scandanavia they only managed to find about 11 drivers that were willing and able to actually do the job continuously.
There were only a few other drivers at the time doing similar work, many dreamers perhaps, but when it was time to actually do the job there werenât that many.
Jeff
Hi, I wish to offend nobody, but on the other hand I do not wish to be offended either, the post I cited is wide of the mark and feel that comment to be ignorant, you are now stating that âin the 90âs only eleven drivers out of the whole of Europe were foundâ so by definition sinbins comments apply to his time driving the ME as well as now. At the end of the day the human race has not changed in 40 years, we all have two arms, legs, and a brain (some larger than others I grant you), soldiers still go to war and lay down their lives in the same way soldiers have since time started, are you and Sinbin and Archie going to say that a soldier in Afghanistan is a lesser man than a soldier who fought in Flanders fields.
Archie Paice:
Hullo,
Thank you for your reply Archie. I fail to understand how delays at borders and rough roads would render the work to be difficult to cope with (confused, no smiley) As for trucks, many of the vehicles in the pics are 100 series Scanias, i have owned the 112 below for 20 years and operated for a few months every year during harvest over difficult terrain i still take umbridge to Sinbins remarks and say that i feel there are many drivers around now who could do the same work.
Well there you go, everybody has there own conception of the job and thatâs healthy I think. I must say though that your 112 Scania, adapted in a really business like fashion, complete with a tipping body is quite a fantastic piece of Gear , a credit to you. However I do agree with you that Astrans and many others did have the 100 series Scanias. These though were 110âs , ten or a bit more years older than your Scania, and of course there were many even older and certainly more uncomfotable Trucks going back and forth. Now I think you must agree that driving a couple of kilometers over a field of stubble and up a Farm Track, then going home to tea, is really no comparison to driving over a thousand kilometers with 20 tons on a tandem axle 40â Trailer on unmetaled roads and Sand. And then eating out of your Trailer Box. Yes ? So back to Rogerâs opinion, do you now see where heâs coming from ? ( Thatâs enough S⌠S⌠for today, eh? )
Cheers, Archie.
The lorry pic is made somewhat tongue in cheek Archie and I would like to think you have enough about you to realise that, in as much as I realise that a 15 hour day moving bales does not compare to a month long trip of Whoring and boozing with a bit of scenic driving thrown in.
Scenic driving?
So the real reason for your post becomes apparent!
Wind up merchantâŚ
newmercman:
Scenic driving?
So the real reason for your post becomes apparent!
Wind up merchantâŚ
Not atall, im âbouncing across a few kmâs of field and home for afternoon teaââ so I feed it back
Im setting out to wind nobody up but im saying donât lump me as bloke who wouldnt have enough about him to do that job, and I would know many others with similar mechanical/ self driven determination and brains who could also. What about you then Newmercman, you are happy to be lumped as a driver who wouldnât be up to the job in any shape or form and unable to steer a truck over terrain in cold and heat for a month with the odd few days stuck somewhere? Please take this as an honest question.
There are defence force personell from all over the world that are putting their lives on the line every day so we can continue to be free. What they are doing is appricated by almost everyone that lives in the free world.
What the defence force do and the kind of life they live is totally different from what the long haul guys do and did. The defence force move and act in general as a large group, and they have back up. Even though sometimes they are operating on the other side of the world, and in a culture that is totally alien to the conditions they are used to in their home countries, they take as much support and creature comforts with them as they can. They are in a group of people usually from their home country, or at least with people that speek their own launguage and share their home culture. Anyone that has delivered to an American base will vouch for that. There really isnât much comparason between the defence force and long haul truckers, especially the guys that did it pre mid 90âs when the start of affordable mobile communications became wildly available.
In the 70âs you set off in your truck and as soon as you were beyond walking distance from the depot you were on your own. If you had a problem it was deal with it yourself with very little other options. The problems that you could encounter were vast and varied, mechanical, paperwork, war, diplomatic, personal health, and a lot of the time it was the mental issues that saw the end to many a driverâs career. Like the feeling of isolation, being 3 weeks travel from family, support or any kind of help at all, sitting at border crossings for days and sometimes weeks on end until some one you donât know did something you didnât know about to get your situation sorted out.
9 Ferdirici drivers sat in no manâs land on a border crossing for 13 weeks, with no, or little help from the outside world.
On January 4 1974 Ger van Rens left his depot in Holland went to Pakistan and didnât get back until April 9th. Luckily for us he took a super 8 camera and recorded the trip fo us.
Iâm not saying there were lesss than 11 drivers from Europe doing the job, that would be rediculous statment. All I can state is that the company I drove for only managed to recrute 11 drivers that they deemed suitable for the job. There were other drivers that were working of other comanies that were doing long haul jobs at the same time.
I myself have done many long haul drives, some as far as the China border, and a few trips I was out for up to 60 days. On many trips I didnât meet any one that could speek any kind of English for the best part of 40 days. For me it was something I wanted to do all my life, and I was happy to put up with the situations that arose. Even after careful vetting by the company I worked for, some guys on the job for various reasons bottled it after the first few days.
If you want to do it then give it go, but be warned, itâs nothing like sitting in a truck driving a few hours to and from your house, AND DON"T EVEN TRY AND COMPARE IT WITH ANY OTHER KIND OF JOB ON THE PLANET.
No offence to anyone, but until you have actually been there and done it you couldnt possibly understand. Iâm not saying we were/are some kind of elite breed of people, better than everyone else. Itâs just something we did/ do and are willing to put up with the stuff that goes on to get the job done.
JeffâŚ
Puntabrava, the cold I have no problem with, I drive over the Canadian Rockies week in, week out, so extreme conditions are no problem, as for doing the M/E, who knows, havenât done it, not likely to either.
Jeff, I must disagree with your last sentence, we were an elite breed of Drivers, we were the guys that took on the jobs that others could only dream about doing,
.
Dave.
Why is it that this thread seems to attract derogatory comments from those who have never either been to the M/E in a truck or went after the introduction of worldwide mobile phones which undeniably have made the solving of problems much quicker and simpler? Those who went in the very early days of the M/E could be compared to the likes of many previous British explorers who were prepared to face the unknown conditions and problems and try to overcome them. No one published a drivers guide to the Middle East to help these early pioneers reach their destinations, everything learnt was passed on by word of mouth to others.
