Its nice to know that hooperman is still around…i worked with him yonks ago…i last saw him in scanias at purfleet…he was doing a bit of selling trucks in the m.east…i worked with the rabbit as well when i was on the mid.east run…i worked for Astran in the 80s and bob paul was the main man..with pete cannon as manager..it was called asian transport in those days..it wasnt a job…more a way of life…and it was one big family…Jeff ruggins(god rest) taught me my first trip down that way…and ■■■■ snow was the no 1 driver…if he didnt know …no one did…i worked for roy bradford (lawrabian freight)…taking ford spares down to turkey…a job and a half…i ended up with 25 years worth of international experience and over 40 years of driving class 1s..and my licence is still clean today as it was then..unfortunately it all took its toll on my marriages..ive been married 3 times…and i am now happily married to a bulgarian…and generally just chilling out…i`ve been off work for the last year …but she tells me i have got to go back…so i may.look for a bit of part time…i fancy …tues…wed…thurs…just 3 days a week will do me now…£100 a day.regards to all and everyone of you…especially the new guys starting out in the world of transport…i had a great life…but we had the best days way back then…its all changed today…schedules are more important…we took as long as it took…and if we wanted to cancel…we did…cheers …have an F.S. on me regards…bob white…charlton…london
Bob, I will have an efes with you. Im a lot later than you and didnt get to Saudi. My mentor was John Williams (God Rest His Socks) after he came back from Saudi. Hooperman was in Hardistys yard in Purfleet when I saw him last.
I had a few headaches and cancellations with Dave Chamberlain and Richie Thorne,
maybe a bit after your time, I didnt start until 86.
Cheers
Slightly off topic but, if anyone is interested there is a copy of “Cola Cowboys” being offered for sale on E.bay. (am I allowed to say that? Is it advertising?)
The author accompanies an Astrans driver on the Middle East run in the 70s and 80s. I believe that some people mentioned in the book have posted on this forum 
I had a paperback copy when it first came out but gave it away!!
Cheers, bullitt.
bullitt:
Slightly off topic but, if anyone is interested there is a copy of “Cola Cowboys” being offered for sale on E.bay. (am I allowed to say that? Is it advertising?)The author accompanies an Astrans driver on the Middle East run in the 70
s and 80s. I believe that some people mentioned in the book have posted on this forumI had a paperback copy when it first came out but gave it away!!
Cheers, bullitt.
I have bid 3 times for this book and some sod keeps overbidding me!!! It is up to £19 now!
Looks like my investment keeps growing and growing!
I have a copy of Cola Cowboys,and a copy of Juggernaut still in it’s immaculate dust cover,I read somewhere that that one goes for nearly 80quid!!!
KW:
Looks like my investment keeps growing and growing!
I have a copy of Cola Cowboys,and a copy of Juggernaut still in it’s immaculate dust cover,I read somewhere that that one goes for nearly 80quid!!!
Just before I went out yesterday, I checked and it was sat at £20 … so i bid up to a max of £25 … it went for £35 and it was a used copy!!!
theres a astrans scania parked in a yard by ferry lane dagenham, & do any of you blokes than done middle east run no of a dennis coleman or by the name of fonzzie, i work with him great bloke ,now i,ve just seen a copy of cola cowboys on ebay who wanted one 
i did… I just checked it out… I can’t bid for it as I go on holiday next Saturday and there are 9 days left for bidding ( I won’t be around to arrange payment etc which will earn me a black mark)
mind you, it looks a well tatty copy
Craig 111:
Apparently Chris Hooper and several of Astran’s trucks are stuck down in Kuwait at present. One of my freelance colleagues is down there with them and it looks like they may be quite a while yet …
Just wondered where they are now. Still there or heading back home.?
Bullitt.
Yes I see him at Pirmasens on his way back from that trip, was talking to another one of our drivers in Patra last monday told me he was on the boat with him think said he was going to Damascus but not 100% sure
sdj
I passed a Scania 143 parked in a yard in Willenhall West Mids today with a trailer not sure if he was loading as I did not have time to stop. It looked in good nick in full ASTRAN colours. 
I know Bob Paul was a very early pioneer on the Middle East run, as was all the others you´ve mentioned. I wonder how many people still remember a chap called Billy Moore. He really was a pioneer, he showed me an old Passport once and he was on the Bazarghan border on Christmas 1968, at the time he was on for Sammy Williams at Dagenham, I remember that I first met him when he was on for OHS, he had a long time on Ferry Freighting from Dagenham, and ended up on David Croombe´s I was once also with a Swedish bloke called Moppe, he said he was a great friend of Bill and that he thought that he Bill, was the first, certainly the first that he`d seen;
Archie Paice:
…he was on the Bazarghan border on Christmas 1968…
Archie…where on earth is that■■? Never heard of that before?
Its the Turkish-Iranian border attracting the highest Turkish transit tax because its the longest transit from Kapikule (and repeat sing along to ‘Tiger Feet’ by Mud).
Thank you David…you learn something new everyday!!! 
Hi,
For those interested I was that man stuck on the Q8 border for 9 days due to the importer trying to fiddle the import duty.
This was my second trip to the Gulf this year, driving one of the two trucks belonging to Rabbitt.
He and I drove to Saudi leaving the UK on Jan 2nd. The trip took 5wks and was a lot of fun. It has been a life long ambition of mine to do a trip to the Mid East and thanks to Rabbitt have been able to achive this. For those who know him he is a great guy and struggling to survive in this cut throat industry.
After a week at home I along with four other drivers loaded for Astran in Germany for the long slow trip to Q8. Again driving one of Rabbitts trucks this time his 143. The old thruster. Great fun again but just took so long to do.
I was with C Hooper the other day and we had a laugh over a coffee and he was loaded for Bahrain. Andy who drives the FH12 for Rabbitt is on his way home from Qatar. There are now only three round trippers left as the rest do sellers.
As for a story in the mags, Truck who were going to run it have ceased publication and I was told by the editor T&D didnt want the LDD. I am talking to Trucking to see if they will run it.
I have a double picture cd containg over 350 digital images from both trips for sale priced £20 + £2,50 P+P.
I am still working on the book and would like to hear from any of you who actually did the middle east. I have seen and spoken to nearly a hundred drivers, copying photographs etc trying to build up an acurate picture of what it was like in the early days.
Regards, Nick.
Hi Nick, welcome to Trucknet.Have been reading this thread with interest. Im sure you may get a few questions so here goes!!
What route do you run to get down there nowadays with regard to the mess the Area is now in?
Do you guys recieve any stick from the locals, customs, border guards etc?
How would somebody wanting to break in to the “Middle East run” go about finding a start, I would imagine even as an established owner driver it would be difficult?
Hope you can shed some light on these questions and look forward to you maybe posting a few pics of your journey.
Cheers Bullitt.
If T&D don’t take over LDD,then I think I’ll stop buying it. 
LDD was always read with excitement and anticipation,especially the longer trips to far away places like Jordan and Abadan.
So TK Dave,think again!!!
Nick, did you drive the white Globetrotter for Colin Johnson?
I drove his old Sea-Land F12 for a while, then I bought it from a friend of a friend.
There are now only three round trippers left, as the rest do sellers
Think you will find there are more than that, might not court the publicity, but still going down and back
sdj