Efes:
On the right-hand side of these arches (presumably both sides) was a very deep cut sharply “V” shaped channel - presumably to stop the locals by-passing the checkpoint that they sometimes held there…
I remember waiting in a long queue on the way home as the Police checked vehicles through… In my mirror I suddenly saw a car plunge into the channel… I was interested. Why had this happened? Ah, the gentleman wanted to avoid the queue but found his car stuck on its side… However, as I watched the rest of the queue followed until there was a line of cars more or less tipped over on their sides jammed at the bottom of the “V”… Had I not seen this with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it… Shame we didn’t have mobile phones to film everything as we do now…
I must say I chuckled to myself for hours having seen that.
Yes Efes. I must say you saw some odd sights as you travelled around Iraq. You remember all the thousands of Turkish petrol tankers. I was heading south from the border towards Mosul. The weather was atrocious with very heavy rain. There was water lying everywhere when I saw an artic tanker drive off into the desert. He got about 80 metres before he stopped. He was empty and the drive wheels were still going round. I thought you’re there till next summer but at least it was one less we had to contend with.
Another time I had left Fallujah heading into Baghdad when a grey Merc 4 wheel tipper coming towards me drove straight off the tarmac road, down a slight incline, got about 50 metres into the desert and turned over. It then disappeared into a huge cloud of dust. I reckon his dish dash got caught up around his pedals.
Heading south down to Baghdad I remember there was a deserty sort of area very flat - nothing else there at all - where the road suddenly arrived at a strange and inexplicable T junction (or 90degree left-hand turn - can’t quite remember). I remember seeing a brand-spanking-new tanker lorry hurtling towards this junction flat out (no signs of course) and suddenly he turned sharp left and rolled the tanker over… He then go out and raising both hands threw them down again as if it were the lorry’s fault. I also chuckled about that for a while too… Where did they find drivers like that?
Just seen these great photos of the Spielfeld/Sentilj border crossing, probably taken between 84 and 86. It was over forty years ago when I was last there so maybe thats why I recognise so very little from the photos. I must admit Spielfeld was not my favourite border crossing but never had a problem at Sentilj.
In fact I hated Spielfeld so much that from about 80 onwards I always used Bad Radkersburg. Although it took longer on the road I usually got through the customs formalities much quicker.
The last time I went through Spielfeld/Sentilj I had a wide load on for Izmir and was routed that way. I didn’t need an ■■■■■■ in Austria but I did in Jugo and the guy was waiting for me when I emerged from the customs.
I filled up at the Shell garage and a very excited gentleman filling the truck clapping me on the back and mimicking machine guns noises. How odd I thought. He explained the SAS had shot all the terrorists at the Iranian embassy siege and he was delighted! May 5, 1980 must have been the date.
Another time arriving at 2.30pm travelling with another English truck. Austrian customs officer keeps us waiting and processes my colleague’s papers (very slowly) and then slams the window shut at 2.45 while behind the glass he shares a beer with his colleague who starts the 3.00 pm (and overtime) shift. At 3.15pm the window opens and they charge me the overtime charge. I objected very loudly in German not that it did any good.
Yet another time I completed the green statistic form as I always refused to pay an Austrian agent to do it… One word I didnt know in German so wrote it in English… I presented said paperwork to the customs officer who starts screaming like Adolf Hitler… Shouting in German “are you blind?” I shouted back back in English. Do you speak English? Then compared him with Adolf which went down like a lead balloon. I felt much better.
Never liked Austria because of these officious goons.
Austrian drivers always jumped the queue. Until they met Billy Took. Billy saw an Austrian overtaking the queue and parked his cab in the way. Austrian driver jumps out and waves fist at Billy. Billy smacks him hard and the Police lead Austrian away as the guards laughed and called Billy “Cassius Clay!”. While at the office window said Austrian arrived (Police escorted) with eye now red and closed…
I filled up at the Shell garage and a very excited gentleman filling the truck clapping me on the back and mimicking machine guns noises. How odd I thought. He explained the SAS had shot all the terrorists at the Iranian embassy siege and he was delighted! May 5, 1980 must have been the date.
Another time arriving at 2.30pm travelling with another English truck. Austrian customs officer keeps us waiting and processes my colleague’s papers (very slowly) and then slams the window shut at 2.45 while behind the glass he shares a beer with his colleague who starts the 3.00 pm (and overtime) shift. At 3.15pm the window opens and they charge me the overtime charge. I objected very loudly in German not that it did any good.
Yet another time I completed the green statistic form as I always refused to pay an Austrian agent to do it… One word I didnt know in German so wrote it in English… I presented said paperwork to the customs officer who starts screaming like Adolf Hitler… Shouting in German “are you blind?” I shouted back back in English. Do you speak English? Then compared him with Adolf which went down like a lead balloon. I felt much better.
Never liked Austria because of these officious goons.
The saddest sight I saw at Spielfeld was Tookies lorry parked up at the Shell Station. I didn’t know at the time though that it was parked there because he had been informed his daughter had died in a house fire and he had been informed by Staggie, our transport manager, to park it and fly home asap.
Austrian drivers always jumped the queue. Until they met Billy Took. Billy saw an Austrian overtaking the queue and parked his cab in the way. Austrian driver jumps out and waves fist at Billy. Billy smacks him hard and the Police lead Austrian away as the guards laughed and called Billy “Cassius Clay!”. While at the office window said Austrian arrived (Police escorted) with eye now red and closed…
I filled up at the Shell garage and a very excited gentleman filling the truck clapping me on the back and mimicking machine guns noises. How odd I thought. He explained the SAS had shot all the terrorists at the Iranian embassy siege and he was delighted! May 5, 1980 must have been the date.
Another time arriving at 2.30pm travelling with another English truck. Austrian customs officer keeps us waiting and processes my colleague’s papers (very slowly) and then slams the window shut at 2.45 while behind the glass he shares a beer with his colleague who starts the 3.00 pm (and overtime) shift. At 3.15pm the window opens and they charge me the overtime charge. I objected very loudly in German not that it did any good.
Yet another time I completed the green statistic form as I always refused to pay an Austrian agent to do it… One word I didnt know in German so wrote it in English… I presented said paperwork to the customs officer who starts screaming like Adolf Hitler… Shouting in German “are you blind?” I shouted back back in English. Do you speak English? Then compared him with Adolf which went down like a lead balloon. I felt much better.
Never liked Austria because of these officious goons.
Austrian drivers always jumped the queue. Until they met Billy Took. Billy saw an Austrian overtaking the queue and parked his cab in the way. Austrian driver jumps out and waves fist at Billy. Billy smacks him hard and the Police lead Austrian away as the guards laughed and called Billy “Cassius Clay!”. While at the office window said Austrian arrived (Police escorted) with eye now red and closed…
The saddest sight I saw at Spielfeld was Tookies lorry parked up at the Shell Station. However, it wasn’t until later I learnt he had been informed by Staggie, our transport manager, that his daughter had died in a house fire and to park his lorry and fly home asap.
If you used the Tartous or Latakia ferry you would see these busses as you drove across the Syrian desert making there way from Amman to Baghdad and back. When flights were difficult into Baghdad we sometimes had some of our customers on them.
Just seen this photo posted by Andy Clarke. It was taken in Axminster town centre a year before the bypass was opened. He dated it 24th May 1990. Couple of things I found interesting. 1) I drove through the exact spot where the photo was taken yesterday and 2) coming towards him was a a C.A.T. small delivery lorry. Of course many of you will know C.A.T. is Chard & Axminster Transport.
The second photo from Andy is captioned, ‘could be a bit snug at times’. Definitely not an understatement looking at the photo. Unfortunately lorries still have to negotiate their way through the town if they need to head towards Chard as they are still arguing about the route of the north south bypass.
The attached photo, borrowed from the web, says it was taken on the beach at Kavala where many of us would have a bit of R & R on the way home. I often wonder if it was mainly company men who would have a day or two off there. Cant remember too many owner drivers lazing around on the beach or in the restaurant. They had to keep them wheels rolling to make it pay.
Good Morning Brian, I was just thinking of how many owner drivers I can remember seeing parked up on Kavala Beach over the years and some of the names that sprung to mind were.
Mike Benn, Chris Turnbull, Howard Hughes, Richie Thorne, Stan Warmbold, Frank Brandon, Dave Chamberlain, Athol Addison and Ken Corrigan.
There was also a bloke called Colin from South Wales, who used to deliver two Jaguars at a time in a 40 foot box trailer to quite a few Middle Eastern countries but at the moment I can’t remember his surname.
Let’s face it, it was not as though we were ‘off route’ as the road hugged the coastline for many miles and after being away for at least a fortnight, I think that we all deserved a bit of R. and R.
mushroomman:
Good Morning Brian, I was just thinking of how many owner drivers I can remember seeing parked up on Kavala Beach over the years and some of the names that sprung to mind were.
Mike Benn, Chris Turnbull, Howard Hughes, Richie Thorne, Stan Warmbold, Frank Brandon, Dave Chamberlain, Athol Addison and Ken Corrigan.
There was also a bloke called Colin from South Wales, who used to deliver two Jaguars at a time in a 40 foot box trailer to quite a few Middle Eastern countries but at the moment I can’t remember his surname.
Let’s face it, it was not as though we were ‘off route’ as the road hugged the coastline for many miles and after being away for at least a fortnight, I think that we all deserved a bit of R. and R.
Photos courtesy of Adrian Shaw who took them when the upgrade to the A33 Winchester bypass was taking place in 1983. He took these the day before the well known ‘Spitfire Bridge’ was demolished.
It was called ‘Spitfire Bridge’ because one was meant to have flown under it. As it so happens it was a Yank flying a Mustang P40 who was the daredevil pilot but who would want to call it the ‘Mustang P40 Bridge’.
I was also interested as the company handling the rebuilding of the bypass was ‘Mowlem’ and my uncle George, not my real uncle but a family friend, drove a lorry for them for a number of years. Before driving for them he had an eight wheeler and one day took me with him, my first ever ride in a lorry, from Camberwell down to the London docks where he was tipping three large crates for export. I remember when the last crate nearest the cab was about to be craned off I asked if we should get out of the lorry. No need said uncle George. These guys know what they’re doing. I also remember that the dock foreman was a well known boxing referee who I had heard mentioned on the wireless.
In my last post I recalled the time my Uncle George took me in his eight wheeler to London docks. I have attached a photo I found on the web of a similar lorry, perhaps a bit older than the one Uncle George drove, that was also tipping in the docks. However, I do remember it was pretty basic and that George, who had been driving all his working life and was a slight man, was struggling with the heavy steering yet still managed to make it look effortless.
Just seen these great photos on the web courtesy of Srdjan Kostic. Taken in or around Zagreb, in the early 80’s at a guess, a place Promotor much frequented.
From loading Zinc or rolls of cable and other products to doing customs clearance or spending weekends at the Zagreb Hotel then walking round the nearby park. Billy Proudlove was allowed to stay in the hotel awaiting trial over an accident that killed two Yugo’s. It was whist I was there I went into town and saw the ‘Deer Hunter’ at a jamb packed cinema. Booked into the hotel with my wife whilst some others booked in with ladies who weren’t their wives but had just met in town.
Do you remember the old concrete roads in the DDR. May have been some good German engineering in their day but by the time we came to use them they were well past their sell by date. In the attached photo the road looks OK but you can see the joints well enough that caused us so much agro.
The next photo I am sure I have seen it before. Tonka with its guts spread around but in the background is one of Orients subbies. Any idea who it is Jazzandy?
And the last photos were taken in the Syrian desert. We sure found a use for those old sign posts. Didn’t need them for direction purposes though as there was only one road.
sandway:
Do you remember the old concrete roads in the DDR. May have been some good German engineering in their day but by the time we came to use them they were well past their sell by date. In the attached photo the road looks OK but you can see the joints well enough that caused us so much agro.
3
The next photo I am sure I have seen it before. Tonka with its guts spread around but in the background is one of Orients subbies. Any idea who it is Jazzandy?
2
And the last photos were taken in the Syrian desert. We sure found a use for those old sign posts. Didn’t need them for direction purposes though as there was only one road.
1
0
The Orient pic was probably taken by Laurence Kiely mate. He drove an Orient gob-stopper and took lots of pics in the desert for his LDDs in TRUCK mag.
Can’t be Iraqi as they had those knives about a foot long attached to each of the hubs to stop people getting too close. Shame no one has a photo of one of them. Definitely best to keep away- esp. pedestrians!
