bestbooties:
YAWN!!
Times 2
does it REALY matter whos c**ks bigger?whos got the biggest dad?whos got the faster truck?.The job was done by drivers that could do it,doesnt matter whos names on the cab,its history for some present for others,look through every post on this site and 99% of them will mention the M/E,wether it be a pic of a truck,a driver or even a can of soup its brought up,3 pages so far to determine ASTRAN were better than everyone else,ok so weve summed it up now lets get on and play nicely and stick up some stories and pics 
maverick72:
does it REALY matter whos c**ks bigger?whos got the biggest dad?whos got the faster truck?.The job was done by drivers that could do it,doesnt matter whos names on the cab,its history for some present for others,look through every post on this site and 99% of them will mention the M/E,wether it be a pic of a truck,a driver or even a can of soup its brought up,3 pages so far to determine ASTRAN were better than everyone else,ok so weve summed it up now lets get on and play nicely and stick up some stories and pics
At least in this case it isn’t interfering with the real drivers story and I agree with you
maverick72:
does it REALY matter whos c**ks bigger?whos got the biggest dad?whos got the faster truck?.The job was done by drivers that could do it,doesnt matter whos names on the cab,its history for some present for others,look through every post on this site and 99% of them will mention the M/E,wether it be a pic of a truck,a driver or even a can of soup its brought up,3 pages so far to determine ASTRAN were better than everyone else,ok so weve summed it up now lets get on and play nicely and stick up some stories and pics
for the third time i never slagged anyone off except the ones chelping about not being able to do it when they still can plus i never slagged off astran what i will use this quote remember the dead dont forget the living remember the dows the chapman and balls lawrabian and countless others that done it but we wont forget astran still alive and well hope this clears this matter up for all those that cant understand what i wrote hope this clears it up 
bestbooties:
YAWN!!
do i bore that much ian 
dreva:
bought commercial motor middle special is astran gonna be another stobart everybody buying there t shirts and will shears and certain other people saying i would have loved to had done it but it had all but finished crap chris hooper and a number of other larger firms done it well into the nineties so yes astran is a legend but so was dow freight be it a bit dodgy but they still did the same but no one bangs on about them like they do astran
When we are all on the A53 near Market Drayton It hought it may be helpful to see what started this thread with the same name, surely it would have been better to call it Dow Freight.
How many drivers can the man in the street name & recognise who worked for Dow Freight apart from Roger and John
Astran have been in the public eye longer than most of us who post on here, from the early newspaper clippings, to the film and now two books. I wouldn’t give anyone the time of day on the train if he introduced himself with the line, Hiya I was in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and drove for Dow Freight before taking a boozer.
At least with Astran you give them the benefit of the doubt. It is easy to catch them out if they were not kosher 
Wheel Nut:
dreva:
bought commercial motor middle special is astran gonna be another stobart everybody buying there t shirts and will shears and certain other people saying i would have loved to had done it but it had all but finished crap chris hooper and a number of other larger firms done it well into the nineties so yes astran is a legend but so was dow freight be it a bit dodgy but they still did the same but no one bangs on about them like they do astranWhen we are all on the A53 near Market Drayton It hought it may be helpful to see what started this thread with the same name, surely it would have been better to call it Dow Freight.
How many drivers can the man in the street name & recognise who worked for Dow Freight apart from Roger and John
Astran have been in the public eye longer than most of us who post on here, from the early newspaper clippings, to the film and now two books. I wouldn’t give anyone the time of day on the train if he introduced himself with the line, Hiya I was in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and drove for Dow Freight before taking a boozer.
At least with Astran you give them the benefit of the doubt. It is easy to catch them out if they were not kosher
Sorry you feel like that Malc 
if I would of known that I wouldn’t of bothered to put all those photo’s and comments on The Astran Thread over the last three years.
B.T.W. at least most of the drivers who went down to The Middle East in the 70’s and 80’s usually brought the truck back with a load.
mushroomman:
Sorry you feel like that MalcB.T.W. at least most of the drivers who went down to The Middle East in the 70’s and 80’s usually brought the truck back with a load.
But that is what I am saying, The Astran & Middle East thread is running with all your input, this is just a wind up, diversion and just makes the other thread even better. You know you could put a picture of a grain of sand and tell me you found it in a tyre that came off a Dow Freight trailer I would be interested.
Dreva talents are wasted, he has some amazing collections of magazines he has published, why spoil it now?
im not spoiling ought malc i have as much intrest in the m/e as the next man i have all hoopermans articles from the trans con the 143 to the dutch reg 4 series and all lawrence kielys back to iraq just after the war ones to say im winding people up im not there trying to turn astran into another stobart and i dont like that .and thats my opinion not slagging people or the firm off so take this for what it is an opinion and last time i looked we have freedom of speach some may not like my opinion but tough ■■■■■ still no reply from trucker ash about going
Alright then, my last word for now on this. I have been partway along that mystical route, as far as Izmir and Piraeus anyway, from Zeebrugge to Geiselwind, from the Cheb Hotel to the National Hotel and from Nadylac customs to Gevgelia customs I have met these good men, from Falcongate, from ACH, from Anglo Greek, from Sealandair, from R & J as Dow had already gone, from Astran, from Whittles and all the sub contractors who were better known for their drinking, ■■■■■■, or fighting habits.
To a man, they were all in the same club, they all had great tales to tell, they could ■■■■■■■■ as good as anyone you would ever meet, and do you know what. Many became friends, not one would pass you by without stopping and, showing, lending, or giving you something. We all reciprocated by giving or lending them anything and everything they needed.
I have sat by Chris Hoopers truck with him in Yugoslavia and sat in his workshop in West Thurrock, John became a friend, Maurice Gray tried to get me drunk, John Neville probably lent me something, Dave Chamberlain & Richard threatened to kick my arse and Pete Andrews couldn’t do the job for toffee 
well not for under 600 quid anyway.
The namedropping list is too long to type, and I haven’t been to Greece for 20 years and doubt I could remember as any drivers names that I have since met in the last 20 years. Those men will never be Stobart Clones.
Night Night
dreva:
bestbooties:
YAWN!!do i bore that much ian
I’m not taking any sides,I just think this topic has been flogged to death and I have a life to live without getting old reading what different folk think of one firm or another that went down that way.I think my time is better spent writing my book.
I did my bit,met most of 'em,got the Tee shirt,end of!
Wheel Nut:
The namedropping list is too long to type, and I haven’t been to Greece for 20 years and doubt I could remember as any drivers names that I have since met in the last 20 years. Those men will never be Stobart Clones.Night Night
You shouldn’t name drop Malc, well that’s what The Queen once told me although I do let the odd drivers name slip out now and again just in case anybody remembers them.
I tried to picture a scenario of Dave Chamberlain and Richey Thorne transporting a Stobart load of beer and pies to a Tesco supermarket. Well rest assured there would be no problems with their axle weights and by the time that they had backed onto a bay it wouldn’t take two minutes to offload what was left.
Let us not forget that there were loads of cracking professional drivers who were also doing Italy, Germany and Spain etc in the 80’s but due to circumstances that suited themselves they preferred to stay doing what they were doing. Most of those lads would of have had no problems whatsoever doing those extra weeks and miles to the Middle East, we all had to do a first trip.
A lot of them were like myself after I had got married, I liked the idea of being home a bit more often, a decent cooked meal every night and the availability of a good shower whenever I needed one. Some of the lads that I met were very experienced Middle East men from the early days, drivers like Mickey Dunston, Phil Bunch, George Ginn, Colin Winslow, Ray Gould to name but a few.
To me it was always a perk of the job after the days driving had finished having a good cheap French or Italian meal listening to some of the older drivers and hearing about their experiences.
Anyway, being Easter Sunday isn’t it time that we all put a bit of effort in and resurrected the Astran / Middle East drivers thread. After re-reading K.W.’s brilliant memories of one of his trips for Fred Archer I am sure that it stirred a few of the old grey cells for some of us.
B.T.W. Malc, The Regiment is having a reunion at the pub next to the railway station where I just happen to be the Landlord, you are more than welcome to pull up a sandbag and we will bend your ear.
Gentlemen, please raise your glasses for The Regiment.
i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg16 … 240913.jpg
Regards Steve.
mushroomman:
Wheel Nut:
The namedropping list is too long to type, and I haven’t been to Greece for 20 years and doubt I could remember as any drivers names that I have since met in the last 20 years. Those men will never be Stobart Clones.Night Night
Anyway, being Easter Sunday isn’t it time that we all put a bit of effort in and resurrected the Astran / Middle East drivers thread. After re-reading K.W.’s brilliant memories of one of his trips for Fred Archer I am sure that it stirred a few of the old grey cells for some of us.
Regards Steve.
Steve I fully agree…
ATVB…RDF
mushroomman:
Gentlemen, please raise your glasses for The Regiment.
Regards Steve.
I raised my glass to The Regiment last week in Gateshead,and shall be doing again next month in Windsor.
at last its sinks in i will raise my glass tonight happy easter to one and all
mushroomman:
Wheel Nut:
The namedropping list is too long to type, and I haven’t been to Greece for 20 years and doubt I could remember as any drivers names that I have since met in the last 20 years. Those men will never be Stobart Clones.Night Night
You shouldn’t name drop Malc, well that’s what The Queen once told me although I do let the odd drivers name slip out now and again just in case anybody remembers them.
I tried to picture a scenario of Dave Chamberlain and Richey Thorne transporting a Stobart load of beer and pies to a Tesco supermarket. Well rest assured there would be no problems with their axle weights and by the time that they had backed onto a bay it wouldn’t take two minutes to offload what was left.
Let us not forget that there were loads of cracking professional drivers who were also doing Italy, Germany and Spain etc in the 80’s but due to circumstances that suited themselves they preferred to stay doing what they were doing. Most of those lads would of have had no problems whatsoever doing those extra weeks and miles to the Middle East, we all had to do a first trip.
A lot of them were like myself after I had got married, I liked the idea of being home a bit more often, a decent cooked meal every night and the availability of a good shower whenever I needed one. Some of the lads that I met were very experienced Middle East men from the early days, drivers like Mickey Dunston, Phil Bunch, George Ginn, Colin Winslow, Ray Gould to name but a few.
To me it was always a perk of the job after the days driving had finished having a good cheap French or Italian meal listening to some of the older drivers and hearing about their experiences.
Anyway, being Easter Sunday isn’t it time that we all put a bit of effort in and resurrected the Astran / Middle East drivers thread. After re-reading K.W.’s brilliant memories of one of his trips for Fred Archer I am sure that it stirred a few of the old grey cells for some of us.
B.T.W. Malc, The Regiment is having a reunion at the pub next to the railway station where I just happen to be the Landlord, you are more than welcome to pull up a sandbag and we will bend your ear.Gentlemen, please raise your glasses for The Regiment.
i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg16 … 240913.jpg
Regards Steve.
steve i was scouting through the older threds and found that i still want the reload story that post was six years old
ignore this
dreva:
ignore this
That won’t be hard.