Motorbije, is like a motorbike, but flemish 
newmercman:
Craig, I remember you got the 510 TG-A to test and I got a bloody ERF (sorry Robert)
TG-A was just hitting the roads when we started at TRUCK, I had an LX version on a TransEuroTest and it was the first one I had seen.
The only scoops we got were the Stralis (you) and the version 2 FH (me) yours involved a motorbije dash across London, mine pulled up next to me in the services
Donât worry Newmercman, if it was an ERF ECT you would still have had to put up with that irritating Comfort Shift 'box but youâd been soothed by the â â â â â â â â Robert
It was one of those ones with the old F2000 MAN cab, an M11 â â â â â â â and a synchro Fuller box.
newmercman:
It was one of those ones with the old F2000 MAN cab, an M11 â â â â â â â and a synchro Fuller box.
Ha! Now those were the worst ERFs ever,the ECS: nothing wrong with the well-proven MAN cab, nothing wrong with the â â â â â â â lump, but it had that horrible Eaton âSâ for synchromesh 12-speed 'box - a disaster! I drove them when I was on for Gist. It was Eatonâs last ditch attempt to stay on the the UK market after their mega-brilliant Twin-splitter 'box was outlawed for being too noisy. Ya salaam!!
Raji:
boyzee:
These are very rare in Algeria , do you remember the plates ? i think it belongs to an American company ?
They belong to a canadian company,there were quite a few of them running on the coast roads in Algiers.This was taken in 1983.
There was a Swedish company when I was there.
What a fascinating thread, keep it going guys. Does anyone still run regular now from the UK?
Regards,
Mark.
harry:
There was a Swedish company when I was there.
Yes Harry there was a swedish company in El Asnam that had lovely blue 141 scania,s,we had an old step frame trailer as a kitchen and some made up wood cabins as accomadation unit,s but the swede,s had a proper canteen an shower unit that they let us use.There was also an italian firm that just had the 2 units of which one was a TM bedford 400 V8 it sounded the nuts with open exhaust pipes.First job they done was collect a trailer from the docks in oran an the driver did,nt couple up properly an dropped the trailer on it,s knee,s.We gave him a hand to get it fixed,had to get the legs cut off.In the docks in oran there were some of Carna,s the irish firm waiting for the ferry sometimest they tipped about 30km out of the docks then just had to wait 4/5 days for the return ferry.
These were part of a tidy fleet of lorries dedicated to Morocco work under the name of Ashford. They were run by Bob Mattingly, who tended to employ ex-servicemen. He was a good bloke. His name crops up in Cola Cowboys because when he was on Middle-East work he towed someone across Afghanistan to help them out. Robert 
Thanks boyzee for the informationâs !
found these old pictures '80 '90 on panoramio.com/user/6160807
old SNTR (Algerian transport company) warriors in the desert:
SONATRACH Kenworthâs
ENSP algerian petroleum company belongs to SONATRACH , the truck looks like a Hino HE ?
Raji, what a fantastic set of pictures! Between them they evoke some terrific atmospheres because a lot of thought has gone into the composition of each picture. For example the one with the camels in the foreground and the truck behind tells its own story. Thank you for posting these gems! Robert
Fantastic photos, looks like they used a Nikon as they have that blue tone to them. Any idea who Said Draifa is/was? I wonder what the original intention for the photos was, who ever the photographer was had a reasonable grounding in classical composition. Not your average happy snap.
25 28âs not exactly flying machines.
JeffâŚ
You chaps are right, they are great pics Raji. I think they come from a film that was made about 15 years ago about SNTR drivers taking supplies to villages in southern Algeria. It was a fantastic adventure; I saw the film (documentary) on Arte, the Franco-German channel, in 2000 or 2001. Ferdy De Martin from Toprun probably has a copy of it, if anyone has, though the narration will inevitably be in either French or German.
From what I recall the midday temperatures hit 50degC and the conditions were so treacherous that the convoy included a wrecker truck which you can see in at least one of the above pics. It was definitely more demanding work than your average international jaunt!
~ Craig
Is that the one where they were going really slow and some of the drivers jumped out and walked across the desert beside the trucks?
By the look of the trucks it was longer than 15 years ago, but the camera says 02 July
JeffâŚ
Jelliot:
Is that the one where they were going really slow and some of the drivers jumped out and walked across the desert beside the trucks?
By the look of the trucks it was longer than 15 years ago, but the camera says 02 JulyJeffâŚ
Donât be fooled by the age of the trucks Jeff, theyâre still in use over there now, although itâs true that the pics do have a certain vintage look to them. I expect Robert, like me, remembers the lines of old Merc NG and SK trucks on the docks in Marseille waiting for export to Algeria and Maroc. Those hardy old workhorses are much in demand even now; according to a mate from Casablanca nobody wants the newer electronic stuff.
~ Craig
Like you say mate, 2528s definitely arenât flying machines! 
Craig 111:
Jelliot:
Is that the one where they were going really slow and some of the drivers jumped out and walked across the desert beside the trucks?
By the look of the trucks it was longer than 15 years ago, but the camera says 02 JulyJeffâŚ
Donât be fooled by the age of the trucks Jeff, theyâre still in use over there now, although itâs true that the pics do have a certain vintage look to them. I expect Robert, like me, remembers the lines of old Merc NG and SK trucks on the docks in Marseille waiting for export to Algeria and Maroc. Those hardy old workhorses are much in demand even now; according to a mate from Casablanca nobody wants the newer electronic stuff.
~ Craig
Thereâs 6x4 split screen Albion Riever tipper still working round Hobart. and plenty of G88âs as well. I meet a 110 Scania most days as well. Photos of them on the Trucks of Tasmania and Australia thread.
Jeff.
Craig 111:
Jelliot:
Is that the one where they were going really slow and some of the drivers jumped out and walked across the desert beside the trucks?
By the look of the trucks it was longer than 15 years ago, but the camera says 02 JulyJeffâŚ
Donât be fooled by the age of the trucks Jeff, theyâre still in use over there now, although itâs true that the pics do have a certain vintage look to them. I expect Robert, like me, remembers the lines of old Merc NG and SK trucks on the docks in Marseille waiting for export to Algeria and Maroc. Those hardy old workhorses are much in demand even now; according to a mate from Casablanca nobody wants the newer electronic stuff.
~ Craig
Yep, Egypt is full of them!
Robert
Good looking goat, though. 
David