In 1983 I did twelve months with Taseco TMS ( a combined operation between Tamimi and Saihati, a huge well established Saudi transport contractor, with management supplied by the United Transport Group of the UK) in a purpose built compound just outside Dammam on the Abqaiq road.
The company had won the contract in October 1981 to do the Aramco Oil Company ship side clearances on the east coast and all onward inland trucking movements. It was a huge undertaking from a nothing standing start in October 1981 to commencement of operations in June 1982. I believe it resulted in the saving grace for ERF because an order was placed with them for 140 units at a time when they were nearly going under.
290 Crane Frauhauf 40 tonne flatbeds, 2x70 tonne low beds, 3x50 tone extendibles and 15 Douglas 6x4 shunters were also ordered.
I intend to upload a few photos from my time there along with some reminiscences and hope they bring back memories to those who shared those days.
Brilliant stuff Martin,
I’d forgotten Vic Turner, How about Colin Powell, any pics of him?
I remember your accomodation was fairly near the beach. Was waterskiing with Pat Conway on a Friday and the seawater went up my bum. It wasn’t quite an instant enema - I managed to make it to your ‘villa’ before…
Look forward to more of the good stuff!
Regards,
John
Glad you like them John.
Will try to post more photos but this site seems to be resisting me and chucking out all sorts of error readings.
Maybe there’s a limit to how much you can upload in a day!?
Do you remember Chris Metz the general manager. A very British fellow. I bet he would smile on reading this if he knew that I still had, stashed in my building society books, the end of contract bonus he gave me in April 1984! Every pound a prisoner!
I remembering him being so very cross when a certain person in charge of collecting some extra housing units ( see photo below) forgot about “height” when they were hauled to the camp late one night. What a mess!!
Yes, remember Chris Metz well, as you say, ‘veddy British’ . And his wife, Camilla.
Julie, my wife, taught at the British School in Al Khobar, and I think she had both of Chris’s daughters (names forgotten) in her class, about '84.
Wonder what they’re all doing now.
Not surprised that you still have your end of contract bonus, you’ll be the man Gordon Brown called to save the banks!
Shame about the housing units. Can’t imagine whose fault that was?
John
Thanks for a good thread and excellent pics, Wirlindervish - sorry, I mean Wirlinmerlin! I’ll put a link on the LHD B-series thread for this thread. Looking forward to the rest 
. Robert
Another member of the Taseco TMS was John Hill, one of the senior operations supervisors. He had one strange sense of humour where I was concerned. I woke up one morning to find he had embedded all the sharp kitchen utensils in my bedroom door! Not only that, he ate all my yogurts. Was he trying to tell me something?
He borrowed Vic Turners car once. I remember well the question: " The road was dead straight.Just tell me again…how did it happen?
These incidents were usually caused because there were no road edges, just a drop of as much as a foot, off the tarmac and into soft sand. A moments in-attention and hey presto!
A company to be proud of!!! Flexibility, progress, hands-on, dedication to the customer, nowadays VERY RARE!!!
ERF-Continental:
A company to be proud of!!! Flexibility, progress, hands-on, dedication to the customer, nowadays VERY RARE!!!
Very rare, but quite expensive - but I definitely agree with you! Robert
Remembering Geoff Lloyd the chief training officer. A man who had to learn to keep his cool when all around were loosing theirs!
Some of these pictures illustrate the problems employing TCN ( Sri Lankan in this case ) staff who were inexperienced with this sort of tackle and these types of conditions.
Sometimes it was an uphill struggle for sure.
I can see Geoff now, sitting like a calm Buddha at the table, wreathed in heavy, chocolate smelling, pipe smoke, rotating his stainless steel “posh watch” and listening to classical music on his Walkman. It was the only way he could stay sane! He is still the same today except the pipe has had to go.
More pictures of the difficulties and dangers of transport in Saudi, taken during my incarceration there in 1983.
These pictures are also an affirmation that it wasn’t just Taseco who suffered at the hands of the mad, inexperienced or overworked.
Marvellous pics, Wirlin, and some faboulous Jingly parking! Robert 
A Excellent start to a thread that may go on and on ,some photographs look like a scene from a movie. what were the recruitment films like for the foreign drivers, like you to can roll like this unless? There would have been plenty of us uk drivers around then after our disastrous strike who would have had a go…
where did the built accommodation blocks come from …the crane is a brilliant picture, used in training videos i bet …
Great thread here !! the last batch of pics reminded me of my year with SARAMAT which started out like that mob big fleet and all that goes with it but I believe that it was not long after I packed it in that there were lots of Filipinos "trained " and British drivers were slowly phased out then I understand the company folded … still I never ever regretted my stint out there a great experience ■■?
deckboypeggy:
A Excellent start to a thread that may go on and on ,some photographs look like a scene from a movie. what were the recruitment films like for the foreign drivers, like you to can roll like this unless? There would have been plenty of us uk drivers around then after our disastrous strike who would have had a go…
where did the built accommodation blocks come from …the crane is a brilliant picture, used in training videos i bet …
I wasn’t involved in the recruiting or training of the TCN drivers so can’t comment on the process that they went through but the reason why UK drivers weren’t used was, of course, cost.
If my memory serves me right, when I was with Trans Arabia, 1980 to 1982, the British drivers were on 1000 pounds per month, to work as and when required, all found with 12 weeks on and 3 weeks off. The Filipino drivers were on 1200 rats per month, all found ( at approx. 5 to the pound that is 240 pounds) to work 12 months straight with then 1 month off! At Taseco in 1983, the shri Lankan drivers were on 750 rats ( 150 pounds per month) all found with 12 month contracts. Having said that, I think they were paid overtime but it was controlled tightly.
I can’t remember where the accommodation blocks were fabricated.
When I was with SARAMAT we were on 1800 $US a month ( about 1000 pounds) all found plus trip bonus etc 16 weeks on 3 off and they paid the air fare … we had in our passports what I think was called an engamma …ingamma which was from memory unlimited entries and exits but I ts a bit hazy now still lots of great memories !!!
Hello, I was the salesman for MAN trucks back in 1995 until 2001. I sold some MAN’s to Taseco. I have a few photos of them plus some others I sold, so if someone can tell me how to get photos on this site please let me know how>
Thanks
Peter
To upload photos, firstly make sure your pics are relatively small, about 200 to 300 kb’s each, then click on " Post Reply". Type your wordy bits then click on “Upload attachment” which is next to options, lower left hand side. Then click on “Browse” to the right of the Filename box. Find the picture on your computer you want to upload, click on it to highlight it then click on Open. Then click on “add the file” which is to the right of the word Browse. To add more than one, repeat as previous. Hey Presto!!
I attach, for your interest, a picture of a happy smiling Jingly person at the dispatch hatch, collecting the paperwork for his next Aramco load. Another of me and an associate in the office and a further one of me in the yard, along with one of a Taseco ERF line up. All taken in 1983.
