robroy:
Talking about Middle East trucking experience,.I’m a bit like Frank…‘‘Regrets I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention’’ 
One of my regrets is I had a chance to do a Middle East run to Baghdad in 85 ish, my own truck (owner driver) was off the road, the guy I pulled trailers for who also did ME runs was short of a driver for one trip, and asked me to do it as a favour…well paid btw, which would have been easy for me as it meant just following one of the old hands in convoy…(no sat navs in those days btw)
I normally would have jumped at it but the wife was having our first baby, …her being her as supportive as ever told me to just go and do it, but I was reluctant to leave her.
Anyhoo to quote Frank again…‘‘That’s life’’.
God just think eh?..Id be (more ) insufferable on here these days boring the arses off you all with stories from ‘‘My Middle East days’’. 
From memory not Google that would have put you directly in the firing line of the Iranian retaliatory air strikes on Baghdad during the Iran Iraq war.
Carryfast:
experienced around 40C temperatures in Europe and US ( which no one said was dangerous )
Actually I’m gonna dispute that, you clearly weren’t looking. I’ve experienced various heatwaves in the US but the worst was in Las Vegas and the tv news was pumping out warning after warning to plan your day accordingly and always carry water and pointing out the best times for different activities. Just because you’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
Carryfast:
I do know personally that the US car rental firms won’t allow their cars to be taken into Death Valley specifically on the grounds of it being ‘too dangerous’ and like Cola Cowboys I believe it.
No one told me when I took my hired Mustang into Death Valley, highest temp I’ve ever experienced- 50°c. Weirdly and I didn’t expect this Death Valley is really beautiful. I didn’t have the top down
Carryfast:
robroy:
Talking about Middle East trucking experience,.I’m a bit like Frank…‘‘Regrets I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention’’
One of my regrets is I had a chance to do a Middle East run to Baghdad in 85 ish, my own truck (owner driver) was off the road, the guy I pulled trailers for who also did ME runs was short of a driver for one trip, and asked me to do it as a favour…well paid btw, which would have been easy for me as it meant just following one of the old hands in convoy…(no sat navs in those days btw)
I normally would have jumped at it but the wife was having our first baby, …her being her as supportive as ever told me to just go and do it, but I was reluctant to leave her.
Anyhoo to quote Frank again…‘‘That’s life’’.
God just think eh?..Id be (more ) insufferable on here these days boring the arses off you all with stories from ‘‘My Middle East days’’.
From memory not Google that would have put you directly in the firing line of the Iranian retaliatory air strikes on Baghdad during the Iran Iraq war.
You know what?..you’re maybe right.
There was a time they were training Iraqi pilots at Carlisle,there had been a few crashes and I took a couple of damaged helicopters on a flat down to Farnborough,.I’m sure it was in my ERF,.so that would be around 86.
Maybe I’m getting the dates wrong, it may have been more 82/83 when my Middle East chance came up, but that was well before ny daughter was born.
What the hell, I did have the chance to go,.and the reason (or excuse ) for not going must have been something entirely different, but now you’ve got me trying to remember wtf it was that came up for me as an opportunity that was knocked on the head when my Mrs was pregnant. 
Jeeez H my brain is more ■■■■ fuddled than I thought. 
cheers for pointing that out to me CF. 
robroy:
Carryfast:
robroy:
Talking about Middle East trucking experience,.I’m a bit like Frank…‘‘Regrets I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention’’
One of my regrets is I had a chance to do a Middle East run to Baghdad in 85 ish, my own truck (owner driver) was off the road, the guy I pulled trailers for who also did ME runs was short of a driver for one trip, and asked me to do it as a favour…well paid btw, which would have been easy for me as it meant just following one of the old hands in convoy…(no sat navs in those days btw)
I normally would have jumped at it but the wife was having our first baby, …her being her as supportive as ever told me to just go and do it, but I was reluctant to leave her.
Anyhoo to quote Frank again…‘‘That’s life’’.
God just think eh?..Id be (more ) insufferable on here these days boring the arses off you all with stories from ‘‘My Middle East days’’.
From memory not Google that would have put you directly in the firing line of the Iranian retaliatory air strikes on Baghdad during the Iran Iraq war.
You know what?..you’re maybe right.
There was a time they were training Iraqi pilots at Carlisle,there had been a few crashes and I took a couple of damaged helicopters on a flat down to Farnborough,.I’m sure it was in my ERF,.so that would be around 86.
Maybe I’m getting the dates wrong, it may have been more 82/83 when my Middle East chance came up, but that was well before ny daughter was born.
What the hell, I did have the chance to go,.and the reason (or excuse ) for not going must have been something entirely different, but now you’ve got me trying to remember wtf it was that came up for me as an opportunity that was knocked on the head when my Mrs was pregnant.
Jeeez H my brain is more [zb] fuddled than I thought. cheers for pointing that out to me.
Also bearing in mind that Syria allied with Iran against Iraq and the Iraq Syria border was sealed to all traffic.It must have been chaos at the Turkish border for anything running that way.
I guess the heat would have been the least of the problems for running UK - Middle East during that period.I guess the period between the end of the Arab Israeli War in 1973 and during the Sha of Iran’s regime would have been the best of it.
Star down under.:
discoman:
andy187:
Rehydration is the key.
Rattlers will do ok but not too hot here
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That’s cold, it’s min winter here, was 22c in Sydney!!!
Sydney had a higher max than my bit of Queensland. 
Jeez, that’s not normal … it was quite high, you can feel the change on the Horizon summer is coming at last.
In the late 70s I spent 2 years working on a ro ro terminal in Saudi where the temp.at this time of year was routinely over 50C.However I was young and fit at that time so like everybody else we just carried on as normal.
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
I do know personally that the US car rental firms won’t allow their cars to be taken into Death Valley specifically on the grounds of it being ‘too dangerous’ and like Cola Cowboys I believe it.
No one told me when I took my hired Mustang into Death Valley, highest temp I’ve ever experienced- 50°c. Weirdly and I didn’t expect this Death Valley is really beautiful. I didn’t have the top down
Ive always remembered the heat in Utah and Nevada especially Las Vegas July 1987 have checked the records was mid 40’s C in Vegas.Also the suffocating combination of humidity and heat in Georgia and Florida would have been late June early 1990’s.The North American and Australian climate must have been a shock to the early colonists.
Air conditioning obviously becomes a necessity in those places and to an extent in Europe during the Summer months.
I’ve always preferred the high mountain climate especially the Alps with the choice of the warm valleys and the cooler high ground.
dozy:
the maoster:
We actually had a driver phone the TM today and say “my wife has said that it’s too hot to come to work on Monday so I’ll need to take the day off!” The TM in a rare display of spine responded with “crack on, I’ll log it as an unauthorised absence and initiate a disciplinary action”.
You were in the t/o discussing another drivers behaviour with the enemy , did I not dodge a bullet not taking a job at your place , sounds like a workforce of back stabbers ,
I’d be hoping the lad had a nice break , I guess you & your mates would see him being sacked a result ,
How the jobs changed , we used to stick together not stab our work mates at every opertunity
I’m gobsmacked to be honest moaster, didn’t expect this kid of behaviour out of you
Yes, upon reflection you are correct. I feel that I have let down myself, my friends and the baby Jesus by repeating an overheard conversation. Shame on me. If the forum cabbage says it, then it must be so!
As an aside you didn’t dodge a bullet, for the simple reason that it was never fired. I guarantee that you’d have gotten no further than the assessment stage.
Gidders:
In the late 70s I spent 2 years working on a ro ro terminal in Saudi where the temp.at this time of year was routinely over 50C.However I was young and fit at that time so like everybody else we just carried on as normal.
Routinely? The highest air temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia was only 2 degrees above that (and that was in Jeddah).
I daresay what you were seeing was a result of large areas of concrete in full sun - which applies equally to similar locations here in UK. There is a very good reason for taking “official” temperature recordings out of direct sunlight and at least 2m above the ground.
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Roymondo:
Gidders:
In the late 70s I spent 2 years working on a ro ro terminal in Saudi where the temp.at this time of year was routinely over 50C.However I was young and fit at that time so like everybody else we just carried on as normal.
Routinely? The highest air temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia was only 2 degrees above that (and that was in Jeddah).
I daresay what you were seeing was a result of large areas of concrete in full sun - which applies equally to similar locations here in UK. There is a very good reason for taking “official” temperature recordings out of direct sunlight and at least 2m above the ground.
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Routinely as in several times over the July/August period taken from the terminal clock/thermometer.
I never realised I would need definitive scientific proof all these years later. And I was near Jeddah.
switchlogic:
Carryfast:
experienced around 40C temperatures in Europe and US ( which no one said was dangerous )
Actually I’m gonna dispute that, you clearly weren’t looking. I’ve experienced various heatwaves in the US but the worst was in Las Vegas and the tv news was pumping out warning after warning to plan your day accordingly and always carry water and pointing out the best times for different activities. Just because you’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
This was my experience of US weather forecasts on the morning TV.The usual nonchalant mention of silly temperatures.
A bit toasty in the 90s first thing and uncomfortable over 110 later which just means turn up the air con.
But no hysterical red warning threat to life bollox.
Having said that with hindsight a serious breakdown could have been an issue in those temperatures so ironically I can actually understand the warnings that you heard but which I certainly never did.
But that’s not what the obvious propaganda which we’re being fed, regarding exaggerating what are just typical European high 30s C temperatures, is all about.
The government is clearly trying to create a fear narrative for obvious reasons related to imposing more ‘carbon’ taxes ££££ on us.
youtu.be/-r23FVt1YPI
I’m lucky enough to have the 2 hottest days of the year as my days off. 
Wife at work., spent the day in the garden at my garden bar, eating strawberries and cream in the sun and a couple of ice cold beers while listening to JBJ, …stuff like this.
Shear heaven…Better than ■■■■ working for sure.
youtu.be/MfmYCM4CS8o
The ■■■■ news on tv is still highly negative on all this hot weather, you’d swear it was the end of the world as we know it…My reply is , it ain’t it’s called SUMMER so shut the ■■■■ up and have a Callippo. 
Dunno what all the fuss is about I’m sat in Wales on holiday and it’s bloody lovely [emoji16][emoji23]
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> Roymondo:
> The highest air temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia was only 2 degrees above that (and that was in Jeddah).
Google might be wrong on that Roymondo - Loading Crude in Ras Tanura in the summer of 1965 the local radio ran constant warnings as the temperature in the shade was peaking around 136f in Brexit degrees or 57.8c as we know it now.
Our Indian crew - who you would think could manage the heat better - just fell apart, leaving us Brits & Irish (Officers & Cadets) to load the cargo and get out of there. Our Goanese stewards kept us going with constant 2 gallon jugs of water.
If we are worried about 10/20degrees on top of our temperature, spare a thought for those in already hot countries for whom a 10/20degree rise would be a death sentence
whisperingsmith:
Google might be wrong on that Roymondo - Loading Crude in Ras Tanura in the summer of 1965 the local radio ran constant warnings as the temperature in the shade was peaking around 136f in Brexit degrees or 57.8c as we know it now.
I’d rather not rely on Google’s headline figures (other search engines are of course available) in much the same way that I don’t put too much weight on anecdotal recollections such as yours. That’s not to say that you didn’t experience working in those temperatures or that broadcasters were incorrect in the information they were putting out at the time.
I prefer to dig a little deeper into the info available from the likes of the WMO and, in the context of a post that effectively says “41 degrees is nothing - I remember when we were routinely working as normal in 50 degree temperatures back in the day” to establish a benchmark.
It’s a little bit like challenging the “We’ve had bigger than that down here, driver” observations to query exactly how much bigger (and more importantly, how was it measured?).
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robroy:
I’m lucky enough to have the 2 hottest days of the year as my days off.
Wife at work., spent the day in the garden at my garden bar, eating strawberries and cream in the sun and a couple of ice cold beers while listening to JBJ, …stuff like this.
Shear heaven…Better than [zb] working for sure.
youtu.be/MfmYCM4CS8o
The [zb] news on tv is still highly negative on all this hot weather, you’d swear it was the end of the world as we know it…My reply is , it ain’t it’s called SUMMER so shut the [zb] up and have a Callippo.
^ Yep people pay good money to get away from the usual miserable Atlantic driven crap which infests and blights our Summers.
Occasionally the wind turns in the right direction and we get some of it sent here from the continent for a while …if we’re lucky.
As for me I’ll always remember leaving school in the Spring of 75 didn’t have to start work until September also interspersed with a 3 week road trip in July to sunny warm Switzerland and Italy.Unfortunately too young to drive that year.
But had to pay for it by working in a factory through the best of the following Summer of '76.The soundtrack I remember most from those days was First Class Beach Baby and Eagles One of these Nights.
40C bring it on.Just means can actually sit outside during the warm evenings enjoying a cold beer and hot food and not being driven indoors by the usual cold and wet that we laughably call Summer.
