Evening Jeff, really great reading…thank you.
Trips like that for “family”, were what made me go my own way in life!(Though I never drove as far as you…but Sicily in a Gardner Foden is a long slow way believe me)!!!
Good luck, I shall raise my glass to the South tonight…
Cheerio for now.
Sicily in a Gardner powered Foden, that sounds like an interesting tale Saviem, would you care to share a bit of that tale with us.
Jeff…
Some of the regular visitors to the yard when I was out of the country…
Pat Laing form Bonchester Bridge
Norfrost from either Wick or Thurso. Their main job was making domestic fridges.
Brady and son form Barrow , Dad always had a spot for their Merc so much so that he bought a one him self.
…
Jeff…
Bumped this one for Vic…
Jeff…
Jelliot:
Some of the regular visitors to the yard when I was out of the country…Pat Laing form Bonchester Bridge
Norfrost from either Wick or Thurso. Their main job was making domestic fridges.
Brady and son form Barrow , Dad always had a spot for their Merc so much so that he bought a one him self.
…
Jeff…
Hi Jeff,
Even if you don’t like Christmas! Happy new year.
Wow, what a story. I thought we’d had the best times back in the seventies, but there was obviously fun still to be had later. I need to get some more memories written.
I remember watching a video many years ago, with a woman driving, I think down to Istanbul, who made the point that the drIver is the elastic band in the logistic chain. Your trip highlights this - we weren’t diplomats, or part of the foreign office, but while they were having their embassy parties, the truck drivers were at the sharp end, pulling it all together, driving legally and illegally, pulling strings, getting the job done.
When I was on for Douglas, some pompous ■■■■■■■■ told Roy, the Transport manager that he could have a French permit but there were no italian ones left - ‘but everyone knows you can bribe your way across Italy’. Yes, we did, but it was their job, why didnt they sort it out so that you weren’t driving with the tension of not knowing whether you’d get through the next border.
The icing on he cake was the Brady’s Merc. Being from Barrow, I remember it well.
Best wishes,
John.
COME ON
how can anyone compete with that story ,excellent…i liked the shifts your dad did , i used to write a name in my other hand on the tacho, and them bloody fuses wouldn’t you think they would make proper ones… i now see where you are coming from… Salerno was my limit leather back to kettering…dbp…
Fuses dad’s driving is this how we all worked back then…and I thought it was just me.Great read really enjoyed it…
Hi John that was a program called Truckers done by Channel 4 about a DT driver called H that was hauling razor blades to Istanbul… On the way back they decided to go with other drivers, one was a guy from Northampton with a 142, I knew his face, saw him around, but couldn’t put a name to him. There was an OD with a red F12 Globetrotter, and the woman you remember was Meril, ex public school girl, hauling a Frans Mass or Danzas tilt.
Glad you liked it Vic, I don’t know how many time I fixed those fuses, like you said you’d think they would make proper ones. 
Cliffy… no that was just a tall drivers tale, it was only you that did that kind of stuff… 
Jeff…
Great story and well worth re-reading.
We all did some crazy things we would never dream of today. Naussa Greece to Calais non stop for example!!!
Jazzandy:
Great story and well worth re-reading.We all did some crazy things we would never dream of today. Naussa Greece to Calais non stop for example!!!
Madrid to Calais - never again! Robert 
Reggio Calabria to Calais… made it as far as Reims…
Jeff…
cliffystephens:
Fuses dad’s driving is this how we all worked back then…and I thought it was just me.Great read really enjoyed it…
I do seem to recall having the dogs name on a card once or twice as both mine and Dads were fully used up…
Jeff…
So when are the books coming out then Jeff? If they are anything like that then I can’t wait. That was a cracking story!
Les.
This was always one of my favourite ones. Up there with First Continental Driving Job and The Run to Tehran, by Jazzandy.
hi robert u being ex morrocco i remember being in algeciras sorting boat to tangier out and got msg my mum had passed away in june 2003. one of ours coming in on next boat the driver said no probs take mine and he went back over. know it wasnt xmas but every mile seemed like a hundred. algeciras to calais then n/pton by time i got to paris area i wish id took the offer of flying but didnt want to leave truck .but made it without any money crossing hands im sure theres a few guys been in same situation happy xmas and new year .
stevejones:
hi robert u being ex morrocco i remember being in algeciras sorting boat to tangier out and got msg my mum had passed away in june 2003. one of ours coming in on next boat the driver said no probs take mine and he went back over. know it wasnt xmas but every mile seemed like a hundred. algeciras to calais then n/pton by time i got to paris area i wish id took the offer of flying but didnt want to leave truck .but made it without any money crossing hands im sure theres a few guys been in same situation happy xmas and new year .
Spot on mate. I remember doing at least three mercy missions on Morocco work so that drivers could be back with loved ones in emergencies. It came with the territory and was what we did. Merry Xmas! Robert
ye and happy new year to all m8
Great story, its worth keeping them alive, it might even receive a few reply posts
It’s impossible to navigate this site even with different fourms for different subjects,
It’s only good for the present posts its not good for previous posts especially going back in time and looking for something, it’s designed to stop you going looking back as to the layout and the way its designed
A website is all about the content and it might have plenty of content but if it’s not at your fingertips and simply accessible it’s a disaster