gs great pics mate and story mate im only 33 so way to young to have done the middle east but it really interests me and if i could turn back the clock id love to have a go
bestbooties (ian)ive seen pics of your journeys on toprun great stuff ive also got the book dedicated to the f88 which has pics of carmans bet drawbars that did the middle east
Anyone else that’s interested in my M/E pics,check this site out.
Hi all.
I just thought that I would continue my first job story…
So where was I? oh yes, I was pulling for Lawrabian in WOO 704S, I stuck with it for a while, learning all there was to know about the Istanbul and Ankara job, and then out of the blue I was told that my truck had been sold to a Cypriot friend of Jimmy Hassan. I was sure that it had been won in a card game, but what ever the reason, I was now without a truck.
So with the money that I had saved up while driving WOO, and a bit of finance, I looked and found an ex-Danish 6 legger 141. What a tool. Once I got insurance etc I was back on for Roy Bradford at Lawrabian, Owner driver now though. !!
Here I am in Bulgaria with a twenty ton load of Suhindol wine for Harlow, Essex. 
And so the saga of being an owner driver began. The promise of “good rates” and all that went with it.
Like replacing a gearbox after my first trip with my pride and joy, I made a total of 10 quid on that job, after I paid for the gearbox , insurance, finance and and…
But the bug had bitten me, so I loaded and got on my way back to Istanbul, hoping to make a bit more on this trip.
So here I was, to-ing and fro-ing, Tip Istanbul, re-load 6 or 7 factories in Rumo, round trip sometimes more than three weeks!! Dave Button used to always get a bulgy re-load ( jammy git) or re-load Istanbul, because he worked for Roy, and he would be on his way back down while us owner drivers were still on our way home. Roy used to get his moneys worth out of us. Those winters in Rumo were serious, everything you heard about was true. One winter trip I was heading upto Pascani to load and I pulled over for a bit of kip in a layby, somewhere north of Roman. The road was a sheet of snow and ice and there were snowdrifts across the road like two foot high speed bumps. When I woke up, I pulled my curtains and the snow was upto about two feet on my windscreen. No night heater and I had turned off my engine, when I went to start I prayed that my oil wasnt to thick. Turn the key, press the button…vroom it started. That was the last time I turned off the engine until I got back to Furth… about a week later. And that was only because the Germans wouldnt let you leave your engine running…
Romania,snow?Tell me about it.The last firm I worked for on M/E used to load me back with furniture from Sighetu,in Northern Rumo,right on the Rusian border.This involved travelling over a small range of hills,hardly mountains through Bieh Mare and Satu Mare.
Winter was a great time to be doing this run■■?
Oh Bestbooties
Those were the days, snow chains on for a week or more. I used to load at Radauti and Iasi quite often too. That was some mountain range coming across from Radauti or Suceava, also right up near the Russian border, through Cimuplung Moldovsec, thruogh Alba Julia, and on to Bors, the northern border with Hungary.
I had snow up there in June one trip and the road was unmade, but what beautiful scenery eh!!, just dont sleep too hard or you wouldnt have anything left in your trailer box. Can you remember sleeping with curtains open and one eye open aswell.
And those dodgy Rumo cars pulling up asking to buy your blooj ( Blue Jeans) and Kent Cigarettes, or bricket ( lighter)…
I could go on and on …
GS
just reading this post gs and seen you mention falcongate, local firm to me used to see their trucks (not very often) parked up in the yard. always hought to myself i would want to drive for them when i was older! however the are not operating trucks anymore although i still belive they have forwarding premises in wallasey. if you ever head down to birkenhead docks past the old falcongate yard you can still see the falcongate name on the storage tank in the yard. oh by the way the only trip i have done over the water is to bierne 20 minutes off the boat lol.
WirralPete
Ive got just the job for you.
Please see Driver wanted for Middle-East in this forum.
GS
tempted gs but not sure about driving a bonneted truck lol
GS OVERLAND No night heater and I had turned off my engine, when I went to start I prayed that my oil wasnt to thick. Turn the key, press the button…vroom it started
I had the same experience on the Swiss border one January .It was 38 below.I had a 140 .One touch of the button & she was away! I was the one of the few trucks that started that morning.
I just have to tell you load of “old reprobates” that this forum is superb!
Thanks for sharing all these stories. 
Oi Wirralpete
are you sure that its only the long nose MAN thats put you off, or is it the thought of having to take over the seven day sh*7&ers.■■ ho ho ho…
GS
I used to love it when I came back from a winter trip after re-loading Rumo, when I got to Dover and the customs wanted to take a look in lane one or two.
They would have to crawl under the trailer with all that black Rumo road crap everywhere, messing up their nice clean overalls. Then when they wanted to open the tilt I used to tell them to do it themselves," Ive been opening and closing this trailer all the way back" 'You do it" Needless to say I got my fair share of turn outs on the bank. Atleast I could get some proper sleep and a pint or two of real ale!! Being stuck in Dover for a couple of days wasnt all that bad was it. Nice clean and hot showers, plenty of food and loads of your mates. Its not like that now is it??. All you had to do was park away from those bloody fridges…Nose in against the wall. Those were the days.
GS
You’ve got no friends when you pull a fridge.I know,I did a spell running with hanging beef from an abbotoir in Walton on Thames to France and Spain.
As many of you know,you soon get used to kipping with a fridge running,but in those days,the motor did not shut down and start up automatically,just went from tickover to flat out and back to tickover.What DID wake you up,was when the ******* stopped!
Or do you mean when I jumped off the catwalk!!..oops did I just say that.
GS OVERLAND:
Or do you mean when I jumped off the catwalk!!..oops did I just say that.
ahhhh your thephantom fridge killer!!! 
bestbooties:
You’ve got no friends when you pull a fridge.I know,I did a spell running with hanging beef from an abbotoir in Walton on Thames to France and Spain.
As many of you know,you soon get used to kipping with a fridge running,but in those days,the motor did not shut down and start up automatically,just went from tickover to flat out and back to tickover.What DID wake you up,was when the ******* stopped!
Actual conversation (although probably not word perfect) between me and a fridge driver ,
the scene crowded lorry park - trucks all lined up one of the last available gaps next to me-
Driver backs in-
Me> is that going to be running all night?
Him> yeah got ice cream on, sorry mate
Me> Ever thought of driving into the gap so the fridge motor is as far away from the next door cabs as possible?
Him> looks puzzled… now thats an idea, never thought of that
Is it me or is that just common sense, if it is possible to place the fridge motor as far as possible away from surrounding cabs?