Trans Arabia /S. Jones of Aldridge:A few pics

[wirlinmerlin]

Another tale from the pen(!) of Ron Hawkins.
Entitled: Within a couple of days they were eating out of my hand! But not out of the saucepan!

See below for a photo of some of the philippino lads at Dammam. That’s Jerry Cook standing behind me picking a fight with Bong. On his left is Matt. The lad at the front in the blue shirt is Mannie. Once he picked up a thermo king fridge box trailer of ice cream from Dammam port destined for Jeddah. The fridge motor broke down so he drove it non stop to Jeddah in less than 24hours. Normally a two to three day job of some 1300 k’s.
Once I was doing some driver training in an A series ERF in Jeddah with the lad on my right. I said to him-" Turn right here!“. Suddenly, he shot through the windscreen. Fortunately for him, there was no screen in this unit. I just managed to cling on. He had used the blue handle dead man as the indicator. I should have explained-” What ever you do don’t touch that!" I don’t know who was more scared, him or me!!
Another tale re one of these lads who shall remain nameless revolves round our small kitchen saucepan. He was always going into the loo with this saucepan filled with hot water. I asked the other lads what was he doing and said that I didn’t want anybody using our vegetable saucepan to shave in as it was unhygienic. All the other lads started laughing. When the bloke in question came out of the loo, I asked him what was he doing. He said that he was using hot water and antiseptic to soak his fifth member(!) in as he had an infection. I went absolutely ape and threw the pan out the door so hard it nearly reached Caravan Trucking!
It transpired that this bloke was due to go on leave after twelve months and wanted forthcoming relations with his wife to be wonderful so, following the not unusual Philippino practice, he had made three cuts and inserted under the skin, three small plastic balls which he had picked up off the floor in Dammam Port. This story is absolutely true!

[wirlinmerlin]

Yes you are right Ron. I remember this episode very well. In fact after this driver had performed the initial insertion of the three plastic balls you mentioned, he couldn’t get the incisions to heal up. The other lads told him it was because they were made of plastic so he decided to remove them and replace them with three semi precious stones he bought from the market.
Anyway, the up shot was he set off home on his annual leave, had a liaison with an expensive woman(!) and his frantic undulations caused his partially healed wounds to open up. He was unable to perform again for the full month of his leave. His missis must have been furious. Or maybe not!

[wirlinmerlin]

backsplice:
Ken B I think the GM when I was there was Dave Turk who came from Kent I think then again another manager was a bloke called Potter I only experienced rain once in 12 months and I was out near Riyahd … I enjoy reading all the stories it sure was a great adventure we all had keep e’m coming

Evening Backspice,
Re your “rain only once” quote, I attach, for your interest, some photos of our deluges in Dammam. ( Notice in one pic. Tee shirt, shirt, jumper and jacket! It was flipping freezing!!)

[wirlinmerlin]

I think the attached picture is of the 6 KWs’ ordered by our boss K.B. and before they were lettered up. They caused such a stir at the time. There were some lads who would have nearly driven them for nothing!!
Picture from the Ron Hawkins book of bed time stories.

[backsplice]

Talking about rain it was somwhere between Jeddah and Ryiahd I do remember that caused a lot of traffic confusion … and I must add that we at SARAMAT had a dining room in cafeteria style and catering staff so did,nt have a messy kitchen !!!

[deckboypeggy]

Hi WIRLINMERLIN, good reading i am sure there is lots more to come…

Did you all know each other before recruted for the M/E,as regular drivers for S JONES, then offered the chance to earn big money…
or was the job open to all from the west midlands, you had to have your family,[wife if you had one]100% behind you .not like going to BLACKPOOL for a week.BIG STEPS and it worked for you all.I would like to know how it all began and what transport work you all did
also you mentioned you were driving training ??who,why,?dbp.

[wirlinmerlin]

backsplice:
Talking about rain it was somwhere between Jeddah and Ryiahd I do remember that caused a lot of traffic confusion … and I must add that we at SARAMAT had a dining room in cafeteria style and catering staff so did,nt have a messy kitchen !!!

You were soooo lucky!
Bet you didn’t have a Yemeni cook who you suspected was somehow sneaking into your locked room when you were out, looking for your stash of naughtiness!!!
I didn’t want to loose him. He was a good cook. So, in order for him not to loose face,(!!) I drew a picture of him on an A4 piece of paper and propped it up on my bed, facing the locked door.
Later that evening I could tell by his expression that he had seen it. he never came in again after that!

[wirlinmerlin]

deckboypeggy:
Hi WIRLINMERLIN, good reading i am sure there is lots more to come…

Did you all know each other before recruted for the M/E,as regular drivers for S JONES, then offered the chance to earn big money…
or was the job open to all from the west midlands, you had to have your family,[wife if you had one]100% behind you .not like going to BLACKPOOL for a week.BIG STEPS and it worked for you all.I would like to know how it all began and what transport work you all did
also you mentioned you were driving training ??who,why,?dbp.

Hi!
I’m sure all our tales are many and varied as to how we ended up out there.
As for me, I had spent some 16 years with Ancliff (BLT) ltd , finally as UK transport manager but had taken on a mortgage which felt like a mill stone round my neck and was seeing blokes around me snuffing it with stress or developing stomach ulcers. I decided to look for a job abroad where I could maximise my earnings over as short a time as possible so I could pay off my mortgage and then get out of the rat race. I found the job advertised in “Motor Transport”. Three years and two contracts in the middle east did the trick after which I came home and tried the " buy a motorcycle, swan around Europe and be idle " trick but after years of being busy, the laid back life was just too boring. I stuck it for a year but then decided to drive a truck for a living. Freedom of the open road and all that tosh!! I suppose I must have liked it because I did that for about 15 years. Very strange! Now beyond retiring age I find myself still working part time, (nothing to do with transport,) but out of choice not necessity.
Having said that there were blokes who came out and just couldn’t stand it. Within a month they were scuttling back home. It wasn’t easy but once you got over the initial culture shock, you soon adapted.

[john_west]

Wirlinmerlin:

backsplice:
Ken B I think the GM when I was there was Dave Turk who came from Kent I think then again another manager was a bloke called Potter I only experienced rain once in 12 months and I was out near Riyahd … I enjoy reading all the stories it sure was a great adventure we all had keep e’m coming

Evening Backspice,
Re your “rain only once” quote, I attach, for your interest, some photos of our deluges in Dammam. ( Notice in one pic. Tee shirt, shirt, jumper and jacket! It was flipping freezing!!)

An odd thing I’ve noticed is that almost all the pictures of Dammam after rain were taken at the side of the Caravan Trucking yard. This may be because it was one of the few places where the rain didn’t actually run off and soak away in the sand, and the water lay about 2 feet deep until it evaporated. Our yard had a banking at the side of it. The railway yard on the other side was also banked up. There was a tarmac road in front of our depot, i.e. at the end of that lane and the same at the other end. That portion of road was still sand, but was very hard packed, so was presumably made water proof.

The reason it was so hard packed was that that back road was the perfect short cut between the end of the Port road and the main Khobar - Dammam highway, which IIRC around 1980 led through Dammam to join the Riyadh, Dhahran, Kuwait highway. So hundreds of trucks used it every day, flattening it hard.

Even in Winter it didn’t rain too often, but as Merlin has observed, when it did, it could rain hard! Our ‘Villa’ had a concrete flat roof. This was tiled. It didn’t leak, but it was obviously porous, in winter we had a constant gentle emulsion snowfall from the ceiling. The carpet also suffered from a certain unnamed individual putting an ashtray on the floor and flicking ash in the general direction.

Winter in Dammam was similar to a pleasant Summer in the UK, usually, but not always sunny, with temperatures in the sixties and seventies, and of course, sometimes the aforementioned rain. Summer was something else, with fierce humidity and temperatures ranging from about 80 at night to over 100 during the day. I remember going to the beach for a thanksgiving picnic with the Americans (November) and the gulf was like a warm bath.

Looks like we’d hoovered for once!

John

[deckboypeggy]

Thank you Wirlinmerlin,
Since i have been reading and writing on this very good forum i have,as just a ordinary retired joe blogs lorry driver, maybe traveled in early years more than the average .noticed=
The majority of men like your self who “did well and stuck it” and had a reason for doing it …not for the pub banter when home on leave.
were just that little notch above … what i like is that none of you mention it.

It is like a forum i go on 99% of the contributors were officers and you are able to tell by their comments ,just as on here so please keep them coming .lots of men could not manage themselves.dbp.

[john_west]

Same road, different viewpoint.

John

[backsplice]

we at SARAMAT were ready for the rain Photo courtesy of Ian Pender

[robert1952]

I do hope Jerry Cooke is following this thread, as I’m sure he could add some detail! Robert

[kenb]

Wirlinmerlin:
I think the attached picture is of the 6 KWs’ ordered by our boss K.B. and before they were lettered up. They caused such a stir at the time. There were some lads who would have nearly driven them for nothing!!
Picture from the Ron Hawkins book of bed time stories.

Kenb reply
Thanks Ron great picture - not seen it before - yes it caused a lot of upset with ERF Bob Chadwick in particular
Met up with Martin last Friday - not enough time to chat about everything - would love to meet up sometime

[kenb]

Wirlinmerlin:
A short tale of scullduggery by Ron Hawkins.

I attach below, a photo of three black country lads who worked for Trans Arabia.
On the left. Jimmy Wells. Usually to be found wearing gold chains round his neck and sporting a fancy pair of shades. He was a very kind man. It took him some time to realise that he had been lending me his smart clobber when he had been going off on leave!
I enjoyed, on his return, watching him jump up and down, turning the air blue when he saw the state of his once lovely white socks with red and blue rings. They were now sporting an extra ring! Of axle grease!! And his white shirts! Well what can I say!! Taffy Bill was heard to remark, on more than one occasion- " Blimey Ron, I’ve never seen you so smart. Are you on a promise?"
Ginger Taylor on my right was a great kid. He to was smart, always with a smile on his face and ready to help when I needed a hand.
Great lads.

Ron
Looks as though you at the Jeddah Creek at the Binzagr hut(shack) with the great sailing boat that you lads got from somewhere!!■■ And rebuild to a great standard - great fun falling out in warm water - never mind the odd shark or two as it was rumoured
Cheers. Ken Broster

[kenb]

backsplice:
we at SARAMAT were ready for the rain Photo courtesy of Ian Pender

Great picture
How far did you take that one?
Good centre of gravity!!!

Ken b trans arabia

[wirlinmerlin]

A story from the pen of Ron, “Get that parrot of mi shoulder”, Hawkins.

We acquired a J P 14 clinker built sailing Boat from the British Embassy in Jeddah in need of renovation. This was up an inland stretch of sea water / 4 x 2 miles it was a privilege to get away from it all some times on a Friday and it was about 1 hour up the road. The drivers got there in their new Mack taxis ■■ K B may tell us more it happened before I got S/A??
It was quite a tale getting the boat sea worthy. We had some great fun. Tony T (Mr Perfect) was Captain and said we will enter it in the next race. I had painted this boat white with BRITANNIA sign written proudly On the Port & Starboard Bow. We registered it with the Club house and they slotted us in just behind the Sun Fish and in front of the 4/ 7O,s with the Catamarans at the Rear ■■. Tony said we must get it right. I know this is all nautical but bare with me this is important to know this lingo .
There must have been hundred or more in this very posh regatta!!! Well we practised the start cutting across the start line at the end of the jetty. Then we are off?? (P S I may well have had on J/Ws socks on??) It went great at first but our craft was slow and the Sun Fish were already miles away ! The cats were over taking us left right and centre. The 4/7 s ware cutting us up?? Soon everybody had got by us. (One must realise that this sailing sometimes requires tacking , ie running against the wind.) Getting close to the Sea entrance to the creek we came about. Now with the Wind Behind us Toni said we will make some time up. I unfurled our spinica which bellowed out and it did make a difference but this was only the first circuit.
Now on our way back It was like being in the Spanish armada. Tony kept shouting “Hold your course” as they zig zagged to wards us. It was worse than being on the Abquaq road. ( I write smiling ). Now getting close to the Club House Jetty we were looking good. Mr Perfect said “Ron, when I say “Heave Hoe,” delay hauling the Spinnaker in for 5 sec’s and we will come about smartly in front of the crowds on the banks as there’s only us on water ■■!” Just passing The start and finish Line Tony shouted “Heave Hoe ?” I counted to 5 and then pulled in the Spinnaker. To my amazement, when I turned round to say to Tony “how’s that■■?” he had disappeared■■? Well! It really was a laugh. The people lining the banks where in hysterics. “Tony Tony” I shouted. the main sail was flapping all over the place. He was in the water, holding on to a piece of blue rope about 40ft back. We had it all to do again as the race was 2 circuits. By the time we finished every one had gone home!!
At breakfast next day the lads said “How did it go?” I just looked at Tony and smiled.
G.Spanner Stories

[wirlinmerlin]

from the pen of Ron Hawkins.
Title: The Miraculous Recovery.
( Strictly speaking this should be entered under the thread “Taseco TMS Saudi Arabia 1983” but I’ve put it here as a follow on to my other stories. I might copy it over to the other thread for those more interested or familiar with the Taseco thread.)

One of our sister company’s had lost a artic at place called Abba, in the South west of Saudi Arabia. This outfit was really part of us and had not long started up They had sent out men on two separate occasions to recover this wreck to no avail . It was, I found out, lying down a steep bank wheels DVD locked over hard right almost on its side in a very mountainous area about 900 miles from us.
We were starting out from 15 k’s down the Abquaq road from Damman in the middle of Ramadam. Red hot and only eating after dark But that’s the way it was!! I loaded up every possible thing I could think of onto the back of a 40 ft trailer and set out with two Thai drivers and a Pilippeno and Vic Turners Estate car.
I had made sure that the trucks were full to the brim of fuel . Up at the crack of dawn we started out . Driving, driving with the sun in our windscreen, going south. It was red hot but I just kept going. Stopping late afternoon we had some Melon it tasted good. Spitting out the pips I said to the Thai drivers, “Have a rest in the estate car. I will take the artic.” because I could see that they where almost dried out and I did want any accidents. They shot off and left me on my jack! By now it was getting dark and the estate car was nowhere to be seen.
I had been driving hard for a couple of hours on this almost empty road. Looking in the near side mirror, I nearly tom ■■■ myself!! There was a sheet of blue flame running down the side of the trailer!! I had been pushed off the road by a saudi tanker some time back. Unbeknown to me, a chain and stretcher had come loose and was dragging on the road creating sparks. When I stopped the flame was out thank God. .What had happened, the fuel cap on the ERF on the back of the trailer had burst open with heat and was spraying fuel out and this had been ignited with the sparks! I thought I had lost the lot. Securing the truck I nervously carried on.
To be Continued G spanner. see photos

[wirlinmerlin]

Good start to the tale Ron. I look forward to part 2.
Meanwhile, I’ve managed to repeat this story and pictures to the Taseco TMS thread and have also managed, quite successfully, to make a readable copy of the daft dittie that was written about the recovery at the time. I enclose it here for your enjoyment.

[wirlinmerlin]

From the pen of Ron Hawkins
Part 2.
The Miraculous Recovery.

Travelling on, it began to get dark and I was getting worried where the hell they were. Then i spotted some lights. it was them . They had stopped alongside a concrete trough with running water. I gave Selso a right bollockin’ for not keeping me in sight but he had cooked chicken and rice which pacified me somewhat. The water was good and I felt much better after a a strip wash. We all slept well but were up at 4.30 and back on the road. We were heading towards Najran, over the mountains then through a police barrier, dropping down towards Abba with spectacular mountain scenery but still red hot.
We stopped late afternoon in the mountains, very high up, on a flat area over looking a vast sea of mountains. There were two stainless steel drums of water as big as a mini car standing on its tail full to the brim. We stopped there that night. After grub,no trimings, just the usual chicken and rice, I thought it can’t be far now. We got washed up and slept, wrapped in blankets under the stars.
Next day, again an early start. We found the artic shortly after, only about two hours drive from the water drums. Thank god! Looking at the truck i thought, “bloody hell i can see how it happened!” There was a big pot hole in the road. The driver must have hit this at speed whilst travelling empty. This probably pulled the wheel out of his hands and sent him through the crash barrier! It was nose down, lying almost on its N/S wheels and locked right, about 60ft down in rocky shale and gorse bushes on a steep bank of some 45 degrees. Getting down to it the unit was dead, so I told Celso to wind off the spring brakes. After getting the Thai lad into the cab to straighten up the lock, I could see I had no chance without some heavy assistance. Then I remembered a construction camp we had passed some way back. I drove back to find some help but nobody spoke English so i drew a picture of the wreck and the slope and pointed to a Komatsu digger. After some negotiating and the exchange of a few quid he said OK. I drove off back to the accident site and eagerly waited for this digger to arrive. When he came he could see the predicament we were in. He was great. He went up the road and graded a path down to the truck then hitched up to the truck, pulled it level then dragged it out onto a flat area. I checked over the truck, making some repair to the compressor then started it up and set the spring brakes. I drove down the mountain and found a dried up river bed on a bend which was just the place to tranship and re arrange the trucks and trailers. It was REALLY MIRACULOUS! Thank god and the Koreans! The rest is history. G.SPANNER