I was 19 years old, had passed my Class 3 with the “Young Drivers scheme” and had been allowed lose around Europe on my own!! This time though I was going to be second driver with the 18 metre drawbar we had and I was off to Spain!!!
Yes I WAS Billy (zb)ing Big Wheels!!!
These pics were taken at La Jonquera where we sat for 5 days due to “paperwork” issues!!! This was at the end of October 1981, I remember because later on that same trip, after tipping at Las Negras in Almeria we were driving along the coast road outside Torremolinos on November 5th and a few fireworks were being let off!!
Does anyone recognise any of the operators in the pics, particularly the Transcon??
Charles De Gaulle airport north of Paris, one of the early 747`s I presume!!
Wagon and Drag on which I learned to reverse, and no I didnt back it into that lampost!!
Not very busy, must be different nowadays!!
Transcon with some problems. I think the driver caame from New Brighton, brilliant comedian, kept us laughing the whole time.
Checkout the trailer of the Scania, I think he was off to Morrocco but cant remember for sure now.
Hope they brought back a few memories of when the job was fun!! Like most of us I never really thought that much about taking pics of the trucks I drove or the places I went to but im glad I found these!!
A favourite of mine La Jonquera, it always gave you the impression the place was built purely to satisfy the wants/needs/desires of trucks & their drivers! Get there middle of the afternoon & pull onto the big parking area on the right, wander down the road & find your agent, give him your papers & that was it til the next morning. Go & sit outside the restaurant/bar & watch the trucks go in & out all night. Coming out of Spain it was a case of find a space somewhere on the road, or on the path, or roof or even in the bar to park! Trying to remember the customs place further up the road, was it Le Belou? Anyone got a better memory than me!
adr:
A favourite of mine La Jonquera, it always gave you the impression the place was built purely to satisfy the wants/needs/desires of trucks & their drivers! Get there middle of the afternoon & pull onto the big parking area on the right, wander down the road & find your agent, give him your papers & that was it til the next morning. Go & sit outside the restaurant/bar & watch the trucks go in & out all night. Coming out of Spain it was a case of find a space somewhere on the road, or on the path, or roof or even in the bar to park! Trying to remember the customs place further up the road, was it Le Belou? Anyone got a better memory than me!
Le Balou was the French side .Later down the road on Spanish side was Rosas? that handled all the fruit exports.
La Jonquarra was also famous for Dos Mille ,later called The Ranch.
I worked that route for years but I am getting rusty as well. Imports were La J & Zona Franca. I would import into Spain on a Saturday evening ,park up at La J ,get completely outa my face & Sunday evening trot down to Z Franca for the Monday morning Customs chaos . Good life !
Shameless bump for the old hands who have been busy during the week and may have missed it!!
First posted on Monday, relegated to page 2 by Friday!!!
Seriously though, does anyone recognise the Scania or Transcon companies?? Would be interested to know anything about them? The sign writing on the Scania`s trailer may be a clue to some!!
Yeah, you got that right Vasc; Moli in the early days used to take Shell cards for Dos Mille pesetas = £10 ! I worked for a Swiss outfit & on the expenses sheet was provision for the Dos Mille claim.
Harry
Do you remember the first resturant on the right hand side (walking from the parking ) that used to serve the big steak on a big wooden board with a big red pepper as the veg with it ? . And The Ranch used to take DKV
I remember, I ate there a few times but used to eat mainly at the big place further down on the left. My routine if I was clearing at La J was arrive on a Saturday evening, go straight to the first flash bar on the left & order a Cuba Libre & get half smashed on two glasses of the stuff & then wander along to the bar further down on the left to eat . When that closed go across the road to the bar in a diagonal line & drink 'til I could just about make it to the truck. In later years if I was on transit I would go straight to the Ranch ,park up eat at the excellent restaurant ,good food,good wine, good brandy , then across to the wonderful honky-tonk ,ear splitting Rock on the jukebox, truckers from all over Europe, Cuba Libres & true romance.
Le Jonquarra used to be truckers heaven, I wonder what its like now?
I wonder Harry, from La Jonquara I always used to run the coast road to Zona Franca,I don’t know if you can do that now ,we used to go through the gates opposite Columbus statue when I started ,by the time I had finished doing Barcelona there were tunnels under the city and an access to Zona Franca in front of the Mont Juic cemetery
I used to run along the coast ,there was a bit of Mway going into Barna . I remember trundling on the cobbles by the Central Rail station & past Ramblas & Parrallelo to Zona F. The only time I used the Columbus gates were if I was solo & going to eat at Franco’s on the Parrallelo .We would park on the pavement outside Franco’s . The boss there was Angelo from Italy & a real rough diamond. I knew his brother who worked for a Swiss firm ,red & white trucks Oberentfelden nr. Aarau , he had a bad accident in Spain.
with a fraction of loads clearing into/out of spain now, it’s probably some sanitised booth where you don’t even leave the cab by the way the vet or revision was known as vilamalla wasn’t it? (oops just saw vasco’s earlier post)
i remember about 1989 turning up one tuesday morning and there was a strike on (can’t remember if it was the aduanas) and getting parked on the hard shoulder right at the top of the hill behind a very long queue all the way into ‘town’, so walking down there to try put T-forms in…
they did come back out by teatime, and when we had managed to stumble back up the hill nissed as pewts there were just two wagons remaining like some monument at the summit they stayed there until early next day too before quietly sloping off to tip at olot
by the way the vet or revision was known as vilamalla wasn’t it? (oops just saw vasco’s earlier post)