dreva:
fly sheet:
germangeezer:
john your dirty old F12 will never be forgoten in this house mate
regards paulAs if by magic here it is, hope dreva does’nt mind.
not at all mate its a classic
Guys
Could i ask were the photo was taken it looks like down by the locks at Latchford i,m from Warrington and my dad drove for B.E.T . look forward to the answer
dreva:
well must have hit a nerve not many jumping in on the comments
Hi Dreva
You sound very bitter !!Why is that ?
I spent many years as an OD, pulling for Astran. They always paid on CMR, get them in by Tuessday, Cheque ready on Friday ! The paperwork was always correct. Their Agents en-route were always very helpful. And the rates were better than any of the other freight forwarders that were sending goods down the road. The job has changed a lot since I finished, but Astran are still sending trailers down to the Gulf in 2011. Who else is sending freight overland ■■? They must be doing something right to keep getting the contracts. There are many men out there that wished they could have got on for Astran, they didn’t just take on any old subbie you know. The men that don’t hold Astran in high regard are probably the ones that couldn’t get loaded. Even though the company has changed hands, they are still a legend. Men are still queuing up today to get a load to Doha or beyond !! The likes of DOW are just one of the many fly by night firms that ran during the eighties. And even DOW were considered to be a pretty reputable company and were going for quite a while, but they didn’t go as far as Astran. And after their demise, they just popped back up as R&J…which didn’t last long. Even Lawrabian lasted longer. So there you have it. By a T shirt, wear it with pride whilst reading Long Haul Pioneers. Sit next to a trailer in a pair of shorts and flipflops with your feet in a bucket of hot sand, and enjoy a bottle of alcohol free beer.
Best regards
GS OVERLAND
Hi Gavin, correct me if I am wrong but I thought that Drevas first post was about all the other old Middle East companies falling into obscurity due to Astran having a recent article in the Commercial Motor. I know he mentioned Dow as an example but anybody who did the job in the 70’s or 80’s would certainly know that Astran were the best but that doesn’t mean that none of other companies couldn’t do a good job.
I never met Bob Paul but from what I can remember all the drivers who did meet him spoke of him very highly, this was confirmed to me many years later after reading Ashley’s brilliant book The Long Haul Pioneers.
I think I can see where Dreva is coming from as I have a feeling that a few of the young Stobart followers could be under the impression that there was only ever one U.K. transport company in the past and the likes of Smiths, Suttons, Wynn’s, B.R.S. etc never existed.
Regards Steve.
I guess there are those who lead and others who follow. While Astran are around the rest will just continue to be second best……… 
Boatchaser:
dreva:
fly sheet:
germangeezer:
john your dirty old F12 will never be forgoten in this house mate
regards paulAs if by magic here it is, hope dreva does’nt mind.
not at all mate its a classic
Guys
Could i ask were the photo was taken it looks like down by the locks at Latchford i,m from Warrington and my dad drove for B.E.T . look forward to the answer
Yes Boatchaser, I parked in Harringtons Yard by the locks for years, not many road hauliers there now though.
There were many many firms that went to the ME, but to do it for Astran was as good as it could get, I’m quite sure that many of the other contenders were very professional and managed to get loads down there time after time too, they may have even earned a bit more money, but there can only be one number one, that’s Astran and that’s why they’re held in such high regard, that doesn’t take anything away from anybody else 
Hi Steve, it’s twenty four years ago since I last went to Thailand so I hope that it hasn’t changed that much as we had an amazing time. Unfortunately I will be having a painters holiday this year but if a Mr Tingel happens to turn up in Grahams bar driving a Tuk Tuk then please buy him a drink from me.
Hi Gavin, I think that your remarks about Dow just being another fly by night company was to say the least incorrect. As you said Dow didn’t go as far as Astran but Astran were as they called themselves Middle East specialist, Dow went to where ever the rates were good, doing work for many Blue Chip companies.
Most people on here know how far Astran went and I think it’s a shame that there is hardly any mention of people like Athol Addison or Falcongate from Aberdeen who in the seventies took well over a day just to get down to Dover .
As far as I remember every driver going over the water in the 70’s or 80’s ran
“a little bit bent” and as we both know Dow were convicted of using Mickey permits and evasion of U.K. road tax. I am not condoning what they did, they were caught and made an example of and the company was closed down.
I remember seeing an Astran vehicle in the U.K. running on Dutch rego plates but I just presumed that they had a depot in Holland. I now realise why they always preferred to use the Aachen Sud border into West Germany rather than use the Aachen Nord border.
I don’t wish to fall out with any of the old Astran drivers but I for one would not like to see them compared to Stobarts.
Regards Steve.
Hi Guys
Point taken.
Perhaps my use of “fly by night” was not the right thing to have written.
That Dutch reg truck was probably mine !!
GS
Hi Gavin, I seem to remember that you lads did a lot of work out of Rotterdam so having a Dutch depot seemed to be feasible and if I ever see something on E-Bay that say’s “Astran Dutch Cap for sale, slightly used” then I am afraid that I won’t be making a bid .
Regards Steve.
Hi guys
Going back to the 80’s all I can say from a customers point of view was that they were all similiar price ( Astran, OHS, Whitte , Priors, Brit European) they use to back load out of Zargreb for us, and they all gave us pretty good service though I do think Astran seemed to have more availablity of vehicles at short notice.
Zulu
Of course Astrans had a lot of trucks available most ODs and there own trucks were on a round trip ,I do remember Astrans shipping over 100 loads in one month ,loading from UK , Holland and Italy even Lux ,where I loaded one trip ,some of us who had Connections in Germany loaded out to germany which paid for the ferry, unfortunatly some ODs taken on were not up to scratch ,As I found out when Bob Paul ask me to lend a set of permits to a driver ,less said about that the better,For me Astrans and Pro Motor were the Tops ,never a problem with money even under the hard times ,the name Astrans will live on, and Drivers will always play one firm against another thats life .
Roger Haywood
I thought BRS Overland were the best
Runs away to hide and watch the fireworks 
Although they were undoubtedly the best, there were many other men and motors who had the time of day for a newbie numptie like myself. I didnt go as far but met them on their way back from exotic places. Many went before me. LOBO, Michael White. Promotor (Ontime) Simon International DOW and even Sammy Jones.
Falcongate were professional and we even had That Colonel Blimp bloke on here recently extolling his own virtues!
GS OVERLAND:
dreva:
well must have hit a nerve not many jumping in on the commentsHi Dreva
You sound very bitter !!Why is that ?
I spent many years as an OD, pulling for Astran. They always paid on CMR, get them in by Tuessday, Cheque ready on Friday ! The paperwork was always correct. Their Agents en-route were always very helpful. And the rates were better than any of the other freight forwarders that were sending goods down the road. The job has changed a lot since I finished, but Astran are still sending trailers down to the Gulf in 2011. Who else is sending freight overland ■■? They must be doing something right to keep getting the contracts. There are many men out there that wished they could have got on for Astran, they didn’t just take on any old subbie you know. The men that don’t hold Astran in high regard are probably the ones that couldn’t get loaded. Even though the company has changed hands, they are still a legend. Men are still queuing up today to get a load to Doha or beyond !! The likes of DOW are just one of the many fly by night firms that ran during the eighties. And even DOW were considered to be a pretty reputable company and were going for quite a while, but they didn’t go as far as Astran. And after their demise, they just popped back up as R&J…which didn’t last long. Even Lawrabian lasted longer. So there you have it. By a T shirt, wear it with pride whilst reading Long Haul Pioneers. Sit next to a trailer in a pair of shorts and flipflops with your feet in a bucket of hot sand, and enjoy a bottle of alcohol free beer.
Best regards
GS OVERLAND
im not bitter me dad done it in the 70s he had a left ■■■■■■ f89 i have his black and white pics the colour 0nes he gave away hes dead now like many others so if you want the heroes as was mentioned by jj earlier wishing they could have done it when they still can turning them into stobarts with the retards wearing astran t shirts thats fine but its a bad way to remember trail blazers like yourself me dad klunk mushroomman best booties just to mention a few on here and the blokes that did mainland europe in the 70s and 80s were proper drivers not steering wheel attendents that we are now so its in poor taste that in memory of all those drivers that have passed away to forget all those firms that have gone and turn astran into another stobarts 
Carl:
… i asked about a documentry my mate saw as a kid about trucks going to doha…i think that film has done more than anything to catapult astran into cult status.
What about my book ? 
truckerash:
Carl:
… i asked about a documentry my mate saw as a kid about trucks going to doha…i think that film has done more than anything to catapult astran into cult status.What about my book ?
Did you write one too Ash? I’ve got the one by Adrian Coggershall, loved it, I’ll keep an eye out for yours, the more the merrier
change of subject again 
newmercman:
truckerash:
Carl:
… i asked about a documentry my mate saw as a kid about trucks going to doha…i think that film has done more than anything to catapult astran into cult status.What about my book ?
Did you write one too Ash? I’ve got the one by Adrian Coggershall, loved it, I’ll keep an eye out for yours, the more the merrier
Oh Stop it! ha ha And I thought I’d seen the last of Rayluv… 
dreva:
change of subject again
The fact is, you’r ‘flogging a dead horse’ with this subject.
Those who worked for, or ‘subbed’ for Astran have only good things to say about them, no doubt lots of the other companies that ‘did’ the M/E back in the 70’s & 80’s were good at their job, but it seems the one thing ALL drivers who ran down that way have in common is an enormously high regard for Astran.
Enough said I think!!
Ross.
bigr250:
dreva:
change of subject againThe fact is, you’r ‘flogging a dead horse’ with this subject.
Those who worked for, or ‘subbed’ for Astran have only good things to say about them, no doubt lots of the other companies that ‘did’ the M/E back in the 70’s & 80’s were good at their job, but it seems the one thing ALL drivers who ran down that way have in common is an enormously high regard for Astran.
Enough said I think!!
Ross.
i dont 
truckerash:
Carl:
… i asked about a documentry my mate saw as a kid about trucks going to doha…i think that film has done more than anything to catapult astran into cult status.What about my book ?
ash what about you and will sheers doing a charity type run to the m/e im sure astran will sort the load will could sort the wagon out and you can write an article about the trip for truck and driver then you both would have done a trip and we can all find out how the job has changed a bit like lawrence kiely did in the 90ss what do you think then good idea or not 
