Another good read. Thanks
But i cannot see the pics
Neil, I can’t see the pics either :O(((((((((((
It says your bandwidth has been exceeded■■?
Thanks for a good read once again and good photos which I can see. Glad you took the time to do this diary cause i’m sure there must have been times when you didn’t feel like it.
Great report Neil, thanks for taking the time to post it.
excellent as always - keep safe
Excellent stuff Neil,
You are a good man, Your reports are brilliant, i came across this last night while looking for work in Iraq, Do you know if there is any avalible? I am 31 single chap but only have class 2, I did notice the work for you may be comming to an end in july, So not looking to rosey for me i bet.
Take care out there
Alex
Just one thing to say …BONKERS !!! 
well at the moment it still stands at july 15th 
no need to feel humble, neil. you’re doing something that most of us can only dream about. i’m not alone when i say that i got into this racket to see far off places. so it’s only natural that i’ve enjoyed seeing someone else’s exploits unfold. You’re doing a great thing, neil. Thankyou for your time and efforts.
DITTO 
The smooth road picky reminds me of I-93 in MA 
And the Volvo Which poor sod has to drive that pile of doggy doo 
I must admit I was a bit dubious when you first informed us of your intentions to take this job, Neil, but having read all your reports, I can see that youre doing really well. Glad to see that youre enjoying the experience, and the posts and pics are great, mate
Regards
Trev
i must apologise for the lateness of these reports but as you know from my earlier reports that we lost the contract so havent really felt much like doing reports but then i thought stiff upper lips and all that so here we are
IRAQI EXPRESS CAMP ANACONDA
START DATE 8TH JUNE 2005
START TIME 08.00
START MILEAGE 44991
TRUCK NO ST705
START TEMP 37C
WEDNESDAY 8TH JUNE
Got up at 06.00 internet still playing up cannot get emails use webcam or download
anything better be sorted by time i get back.
There are 16 westerners on this mission with graham (crooky)crooke as CS.
nationalities 2 GB
8 USA
2 AUS
2 NZL
2 ZAF
We leave HL5 at 09.15 to go to Arifjan but as we turn right for some unknown reason
3 tcn,s decide to go left so Leon has to chase after them while the rest of us carry
on.we staged up on right just inside the checkpoint to wait until they were ready for us.
mileage to the loading area is 22.2km,i was one of 4 bobtails on this trip which was
ok by me.
Got everyone loaded without to much hassle and managed to get out of gate at 11.45
and thats when the problems started.a tcn could not go faster than 80kph so i had to ■■■■■■
him back to the HL5 to get a replacement truck and driver as these guys live in the truck you
have to change the whole lot.as i was waiting i was hearing on the radio that 2 of our trucks
had loads falling out of the bxes they were carrying i.e toilet rolls and plastic cups.
well when i left to try and catch up with convoy which wasnt important to do i passed the mess
that the loads had made what a sight.meanwhile crooky sent the 2 trucks back to be
redone at Arifjan but only one new load was available so john had an early finish and
went home with the other driver turning up abput 3hrs later.
These loads have been criticised by the drivers many times before but they still put them
on with just 1 little piece of shrink wrap which blows away boxes then get crushed tops loose
and then the loads go.they should be put in containers but the company that do it KBR dont
give a moneys uncle about it but they will soon.
Due to the convoy stopping about all this i and the new truck caught up with them i left him
with the convoy and i zoomed up to Navistar and started getting ice and water for everyone
then collected the passports of the tcn,s as they arrived.we got staged up in the chicken
coop and i went to bed to catch upon my sleep.
mileage 191kms
start mileage 44991
end mileage 45204
total 191
THURSDAY 9TH JUNE
START MILEAGE 45204
TEMP 30C
Woke up at 04.30 had a couple of cigarettes and wandered off to the showers.i like to go
early to beat the rush of soldiers at about 05.30.it was still blowing hard and the sand just
gets everywhere.fancied a cup of tea as i could not be bothered to walk all the way back
to the Dfac as bags are not allowed inside.
Ron was up so i borrowed his cooker and heated a frying pan full of water and made a
nice cup of tea with 3 strawberry jam croissants,its a decadent life we lead over here.
Managed to get radio5 on BFPS so listened to that with my feet up.at 06.00 the workers
started arriving to keep the staging area free of litter a job where i dont envy them
so we normally give them a few bottles of water to wash the dust down.
Today was a busy day at the civilian crossing into Iraq as you can see by the pics mostly
furniture and grain lorries as you can see no taste in furniture.
Went off and fueled up as i didnt bother yesterday as i was sorting out passports.got
myself some more ice which is stored in 40ft containers and they get through a few
of those during the week i can tell you.decided to start watching star wars revenge of
the sith dvd which i got before it was shown in the uk for approx $3 .
Was about half way through when the army finally turn up and we are due to leave
at 10.00 so i go and check that all trailer boxes are wired so the kids across the
border cant open and steal the contents.
Well what a surprise we had when we crossed they had finally sorted the road out
nice new flat surface and we sailed through so we wont have no more problems
with little thieves except now they might go back to throwing rocks, cant win them
all.
While heading for motorway a car got in amongst the convoy and we were told
by army that we could force it off road which the driver duly did with no contact
made on car.got onto motorway and was making good time when the truck
behind me pulled onto the hard shoulder and stopped,i pulled up in front with
the convoy stopped further on and crookey leon and the rear gun truck and
army wrecker pulled up behind.
It was overheating so we filled it up and it took 25 litres before it started pouring out
from underneath so we knew we had a problem.the TCN who was driving it
dropped the trailer and robin who was one of the bobtails hooked up and we got
the broken truck to keep going for as long as possible as we were only about
45mins away from Camp Cedar where we could leave it and a convoy southbound
would stick it on a trailer and get it back to kuwait although we kept the driver with us.
As we parked on the motorway so it could go into Cedar it finally gave up the ghost and
crookey had to radio for the KBR wrecker in the camp to come out and get it which
is not an easy task because you have to go through the correct channels and then
get your own paperwork changed,so in the ens we were waiting for about 90mins
which gave the kids to appear from it seems nowhere and beg for food and water.
The mileage then was 223kms and the temp was 46c.we finally move off at 15.45 and
within 2 minutes stopped again as the army suddenly realised one of the gun trucks
was still in the camp.finally got to Camp Scania at 19.15 didnt fuel up but made sure
the trucks parked as close as possible so we could get them into the 2 lanes allocated
to us.
Told drivers they could go to Dfac when we got the wonderful news that we were leaving
at 02.30 the next morning oh deep joy,never mind thats the army for you.got some food
when the IAP rep came in and asked who was the driver that insulted the guard it
turned out to be an aussie called alan who is a nasty piece of work very racist,anyway
he was spoken to by the rep and crooky and was told if he didnt apologise he would
be banned from the camp which means the sack well basically he told the 2 of them to
F off as he was eating and he couldnt care less about saying sorry but he changed
his mind when he was told he would be arrested as well.
The CS is still gonna write him up as he was constantly swearing on the radio and was
abusive to 1 of our drivers as well, good riddance i say.anyway got to bed at 20.15
where the temp was 45c and set alarm for 01.00
Mileage from Navistar 420kms
START MILEAGE 45204
END MILAGE 45625
TOTAL 421
FRIDAY 10TH JUNE
START MILEAGE 45625
TEMP 33C
Woke up at 00.30 had usual cple of ■■■■ and went off for a shower although only a smallish
camp it is busy 24/7 this morning was no exception quite a few soldiers sitting around outside
JOES CAFE which if i havent already mentioned in a previous post is a 24hr tent with free coffee
various snacks and cereal along with soft drinks and tv it is dedicated to a soldier that was killed
over here and is ideal if you miss the Dfac.anyway had a coffee and went for a shower when i got
back to the truck crooky and leon had gone over to the loading area as there was a trailer there
which needed taking to where we were going which now left us with only 2 bobtails mine and
crookies still couldnt turn it down after the trouble we had with alan the night before.checked that
the TCN,s were all up and taped up one of the light clusters for them and we rolled out dead on
02.30.
There was lots of army along the route we took which was SWORD which is basically near
the centre of Baghdad but at that time of the morning we had no problems and made good
time to our destination Camp Anaconda arriving at 05.45.things had changed up here we now
have to go through an x-ray scanner 4 at a time which took ages before we were all together
at the checking yard. mileage 236kms
While that was happening crooky and myself went off to get some carryout brekky for the
the western drivers which they appreciated as it would be closed before they got unloaded
and reloaded.
I went off and found Ron and gave him his food and the ones i had leftover gave to the
TCN,s he had with him which made them very happy,then i went off and got fuel before
returning to help everyone strap down the loads they had collected.
We got staged up at 08.30 and are leaving at 03.40 in the morning.told the drivers if they
want to drop trailers and go off to the big PX they have here they were welcome too.
i watched the rest of my film then went to bed for a cple of hours before going off
and getting a no1 haircut again cost $5 not bad price.wandered into PX afterwards
and got another pair of shorts $9.95 and a pack of 12 cokes for $1 went back to staging
area via the ice trailer and caught up with this report before going off for dinner with
crooky and leon.got the army newspaper the STARS and STRIPES back to truck for
a read before retiring to bed.
miles done 294kms
end mileage 45919
start mileage45625
total mileage 294kms
SAT 10TH JUNE
START MILEAGE 45919
TEMP 32C
woke up at 01.45 and had the usual ■■■■.looked out to see the convoy next to us moving
out.went off for a shower when i came back some drivers were awake.woke crooky up
and we went off for a coffee at the green bean cafe.
we left on time at 03.40 and made good time until just as we were passing a convoy
one of our TCN,s jacknifed across the central reservation resulting in him splitting
his fuel tank so me and crooky raced up to sort it out.he towing the unit and me hooking
up to the trailer,hopefully no more problems before we reach scania as we had no bobtails
left.
by the time we got to scania the dfac was closed so we missed out on breakfast and went
off to load the 2 units onto a trailer.after we had done that we were given a leaving time of
1300 so i went off outside the camp to the local market and got 6 dvds for $15 with 4 films
on each so a good buy.
when i got back to truck the leaving time had changed to 11.30 and that we would be going
to cedar to stop.when we left we had an extra driver with us due to there being too many trucks
in his convoy so he drove back with us.
we left and got to cedar with no more problems time was 14.30we fueled up and went off to
stage leaving at 0800 tomorrow.temp was up to 50c.
end mileage 46372
start mileage 45919
total 453kms
SUN 12TH JUNE
START MILEAGE 46372
TEMP 34C
woke up with alarm at 06.00 had the usual before going off for a shower.stopped at the
little truckstop shed for a coffee and muffin and noticed that the army was beginning
to arrive so i thought we would leave earlier and we did 07.30 luckily all were in
their trucks.
as we neared border the phone network cut in and i got the dreaded txt message
about the contract being lost and july 15th as last day.well frantic ph calls to different
people to get it confirmed so a lot of unhappy drivers.got to border we never got stopped so
straight through to arifjan unloaded and back to apartment then off to meeting to find
out more.
COURTS NEW RANGE OF FURNITURE
IRAQI CHILDREN IN THE DESERT WHO BEG FOR FOOD
PICKFORDS
A FEW TURKISH DRIVERS OVER HERE
GOOD STRAPPING NOT
well off to iraq tomorrow probably for the last time and just as the dollar was getting better against the pound
Nice read and pics again
Will miss reading your reports
How do the american army treat you.?
Do you get on with them.?
Thanks Neil, excellent as ever. Take care 
the ones who ■■■■■■ us arent to bad but the army is now messing us around again in the camps refusing sth africans entrance at one base and making any non american wait till the last 30mins at another.
Good pics neil, no more work yet, ? if not it was still an adventure that we all got to share thanks mate.
Good read and pic’s Neil
Just been having a bit of a catch up on this thread. An excellent read just as others have said and thanks for writing it up. Look forward to reading the next instalment. 
well its official we have all been given 15 days notice the army dont want us after the 20th july.the apts are paid till the 25th and you could be called out on iraqi express on the 19th.