mushroomman:
Brilliant Pete, I must of missed this the first time around so thanks for showing it again.
I think that we all must of had a bad trip at one time or another but not as bad as that.
Me too. That really was the trip from hell 
Just as good the second time round… great story and very well told, thank you …
Jeff…
Thanks Jeff, can you imagine anything like that happening today??
Some things have definitely changed for the better, though not, by no means, all!
Pete
I wonder how common things like that actually were… I know for me I had quite a few “adventures” and most of the other guys I knew had similar ( but different ) experiences… I got out of European stuff in the late 90’s and haven’t heard much happening after that, but there must be some kind of element out there that to a degree is still having ( fun ) for want of a better word…
I would suggest asking on the interactive section, but now of them seem to have a very long attention span, none of the links seem to last more than a few hour before they all start bickering or being just plain rude…
A mate of mine runs Road Trains up north… it’s mainly bush stuff… He drives one him self, has his brother in law on another and best mate on the 3rd… A few years back he was on a job they were all running but leaving about a day and a half apart… Of goes his mate on the Sunday, gets there and unloaded, and has a serious brake down on the way back… He meets up with him in the remote out back… the only thing to do is for the boss to go and tip then come back and see what he can do… When he arrived back a few days later, then quickly work out that it can’t be bodge so they have to load it on top… Now that isn’t as easy as it sounds as the only loading bank in the area is a day and a half back up the road on the job where they are working… But to get there they have to tow the broken down rig 3 hours south to turn round… I know it sound a bit sus but if you’ve been in some of that area with heavy scrub all round and uncertain swamp on either side, it’s better to be safe than sorry…
They get down to the turning point, to find the brother in law who is also having problems with his truck, so that has to be sorted first before they get going… In the mean time the wet has started to kick in so now there’s a weather element thrown in as well… Parts are robbed of the broken down truck to fix the brother in laws truck, while the other guy splits everything down to turn it round then re assembles it… every thing sorted…of they go back to the job, but the brother in laws truck is still playing up, so instead of a day and a half it’s more like half a week…The third truck is unloaded, but now they have 3 trucks and only 1 working… Last option is to load one on top of the other and tow the 3rd… ( it’s all bush work so no one is looking ) They’re all taking turns at driving to make up time… the 3rd truck blows a diff… not to worry they have a few spars on board… job done…another day and a bit … but now it’s raining for real and the rivers are up to high to cross… trucks are left for 9 weeks before it’s safe to get them out… Last time I talked to him he was still running 3 trucks doing much the same… but still complaining that the hours are to long for not very much return…
Jeff…
Jelliot:
I wonder how common things like that actually were… Iknow for me I had quite a few “adventures” and most of the other guys I knew had similar ( but different ) experiences… I got out of European stuff in the late 90’s and haven’t heard much happening after that, but there must be some kind of element out there that to a degree is still having ( fun ) for want of a better word…Jeff…
Hi Jeff,
Before I found this site in September, I thought Overland to the Middle East had died out by about 1982. By then I was living in Saudi and saw very few trucks coming down. Certainly not like the ‘gold rush’ of the middle to late seventies.
Not only was I wrong, but I see Astran and others were still making a living at it, plus Europe had obviously opened up beyond our earlier wildest dreams.
Some fascinating tales on here. Since money was always the initial lure, but ‘joy in doing the job’ was always perhaps as much part of the fascination, I can understand how those younger than me (I’m 66) would have moved on to Canada, The USA and Oz.
I’m not sure there’s much fun left here in the UK, but I look at your road train Kenworths with envy - that was my kind of transport.
Best wishes, have a great New Year.
John
I don’t know about Oz, but the job in Canada is nothing like the going over the water job used to be. Lots of miles in big fancy lorries yes, but no fun to be had.
Maybe it’s a sign of the times, but even listening to the old boys reminiscing, I don’t think they had half as much fun as we used to have.
Dear all
To those of you out there that know me and don’t know me.
May I wish you all the very best wishes for the Christmas season and a very prosperous New Year for 2015.
All of us that used to travel the “dusty road”, have our adventures and tales to tell and when the time is right we each have the opportunity to express ourselves and share our tales on Trucknet.
What a fantastic tool. I still remember when I felt that I had arrived back into “civilisation” at Cilvegozu (Syrian/Turkish Border, Turkish side) and I could send a Fax to Alison for my reload instructions, to be collected at the Telex Motel in Ankara or at the Londra in Istanbul…that was considered “Hightec”, prior to that it was a case of sifting through the slots for a telex with re-load instructions. !! Oh how technology has progressed now. If we dont reply to an e.mail or whatsapp msg immedeatley there’s a problem ! This forum has put me back in touch with colleagues that I lost touch with over twenty years ago, and it has enabled me to share some of my tales and photos, after many hours of scanning and uploading to Photobucket.
Anyway, I remember one trip when I was homeward bound with 20+ tons of Bulgarian wine and I was just about to pull away after completing my customs formalities at the Yugoslavian Border at Gradina, and there was a horrible “bang” and a nasty grinding sound but no drive ! I jumped out of my Danish Spec 141, a truck that I am sure some of you will remember, so upon inspection I found that the left side drive cap on the axle had stripped the splines which transfered the drive from the halfshaft to the wheels and had thus renderred me stranded !! fortunately Ronnie “Shag” McNulty was behind me so I asked him to take me to Scania Belgrade where I hoped to get a replacement cap. By the next afternoon I was at the Scania Service but alas they didnt have the part that I needed so I got Ronnie to drop me at the Hotel National Belgrade where I would try and grab a lift down to Greece. I was sure that I would find the driveshaft cap that I needed. Next day I was en-route to Thessaloniki with a Brit driver whos name escapes me. He took me right to Thessaloniki where after a bit of time I found a breakers yard with a 141 like mine that had the cap that I needed. After a bit of haggling I walked out of the yard with the part and I proceeded to to get a lift back up the road to the first services at Nis. Once we were there I found another Brit truck heading towards Bulgaria and the driver was willing to take me through the border and back to my truck. Once there I fitted the new driveshaft cap and headed towards Harlow to deliver my load of wine.
And the moral of the story is that “we would do whatever we had to do to get the job done” !! Imagine that nowadays !!
Happy Holidays
GS
Before you read this, let me say that these are not my opinions but those of a prospective employer
And believe it or not, I actually took the job, enjoyed it immensely and of course, formed my own opinions:
Don’t listen to the bullhitters, scaremongers and fantasists
Don’t listen to Astran drivers, they’re all bullshitters, nobody can afford to pay the wages they say they get.
Don’t, under any circumstances, park next to a cockney, they all carry hand pumps and will empty your diesel tanks as you sleep.
Don’t try to bribe the Germans or the Alpine Turks.
ALWAYS, try to bribe every other nationality, especially the Turk Polis
Fill up your belly tank in Hungary at 3 to1 (300 litres for 100 DM) or even better
Try to avoid getting your Yugo permit stamped
Don’t stop at the Windmill, National, the Londra, or the telex, that’s where all the cockneys and bull*hitters stop.
You running money will be waiting for you at Dover, Ostend, Schenkers, Youngturks, John Kemps, Londra (Delete or insert another name as required).
Your trip should take no more than 21 days
If this was what was said to prospective drivers today, would there be any takers?
(Still sounds like a challenge to me)
Seasons greetings
Pete
Sign me up… where’s my keys… sounds like a top bloke… 
Jeff…
Yeah I’d have some of that, wise words from the man, especially about the cockneys, as a native of the correct side (south) of the river I totally agree with him 
Blimey!! And there’s me finking I drove for an upright “firm” when I drove for Simons!!
^^^cockneys^^^
And coming from darkest Warrington, he classed anybody south of Birmingham as a ‘cockney’