Left again at 0530hrs nice warm morning. Stopped in Tarsus mountains for breakfast. Arrived Adana telex home to Bob Paul. Met Trevor Long going home. Left at 1530hrs. Repaired puncture and arrived Birecek at 2115hrs.
Parked up: Birecek, TR.
Wednesday 08/02/1984
Crossed into Greece but cannot make it to the border before it closes, so a nice quiet run down. Stop at Kavala for eats and again at Port Lagos for nice fish meal. 1000 Drachs and then on to the border. Arrived at midnight.
Parked up: Ipsala, TR.
Thursday 09/02/1984
Cleared for transit at 1100hrs and proceeded to Istanbul. Dropped of a couple of hikers and then onto Tuzla. Brake drums overheating so stop for half hour. Reached Düzce where I am parking for the night at 2045hrs. In company with Tony Soameson. Good weather, dry and warm. Some rain earlier.
Parked up: Düzce, TR.
Friday 10/02/1984
Left Düzce at 0530hrs and stopped Ankara. Did washing and had a Turkish bath. Telex Astran about problems in Graz and then proceeded to Askaray. Nice sunny day and looks like getting warmer.
Parked up: Askaray, TR.
Sunday 05/02/1984
Late getting up 0930hrs. Cleaned cabin and did various other jobs. Had a shower and washed some clothes. Tried trailers on 2nd pin but to close to cabin. Had dinner at 1830hrs and then went to bed at 2100hrs. Can drive in 1 hours time, temp +2’C so there shouldn’t be too much black ice. I hope!!
Parked up: Liezen, A.
Monday 06/02/1984
Had repairs done by Scania Graz and then carried on to Yugoslavia with Tony. He is running much quicker than me because my speedo is reading about 7km high, needs calibrating. Road very bad and trailer is “whipping”. I parked near Ruma but Tony has gone on.
Parked up: Ruma, YU.
Tuesday 07/02/1984
Departed Ruma at 0600hrs can’t see any point in working day and night when Astran don’t appreciate it, they only want more. Stop to see if I can help John Paxton 1130hrs, caught Tony again. Stop Nis for washing / eat. Crossed into Bulgaria and drove until midnight. That seems to much for me but Tony must make it to Riyhad in 14 days or loose money.
Parked up: Nr Bulgarian / Greek Border, BG.
Thursday 02/02/1984
Sailed at 1900hrs Dover to Zeebrugge, enroute to Mosul & Baghdad.
Possibly get weekended in Austria?
Parked up: Gent, B.
Friday 03/02/1984
Arrived Zeebrugge 0100hrs. Parked at Gent until 0930hrs. Crossed into Germany at 1230hrs and break whilst doing paperwork. Very strong crosswinds all day. At junction of U61/U89 the autobahn was blocked for sometime by overturned trailer. At Brohltal temp was 2’C. Sleet at 1620hrs Mosel temp 1’C. 1630hrs 0’C. 1700hrs 2’C, rain and strong winds again. Not one of my good days. Possibly get weekended Germany / Austria.
Parked up: Hockenheimring, D.
Saturday 04/02/1984
Away at 0300hrs and drive to Greding, fill up with Diesel and park until 0800hrs. Checked wheel nuts. Passed Tony Soamesen at 1040hrs parked at Hochfellen. Into Austria and had two hours only to drive. Tacho packed up just before Liezen, where Tony and I parked for the weekend. Very Tired.
Parked up: Liezen, A.
Ever the friend maker whilst out and about, my good pal Mat Ireland was at the Bachivsk border from Ukraine into Russia yesterday when he met this driver from Uzbekistan. As Mat has a supply of TB stickers he has been challenged to stick a few on various far flung trucks he meets on his months away in Europe and beyond. This was one of four UZ trucks at the border all on the same job, delivering onions from UZ to Kiev, UA. From Kiev the drivers head back across the border into Russia before making calls to find reloads back to UZ. In broken pigeon English Mat established the trip from loading in UZ to Kiev is 4000km, some trip. As part of the UK international relations team, Mat and brother Nick have been educating the Uzbek drivers on English fine cuisine…..pork scratching and a cup of tea! 
As a driver I never did enough European work. I always wanted to take my 7.5 tonner all over Europe but back then the opportunities just didn’t arrive. I was kindly offered various odd jobs through Kevin at Delamode but they never seemed to fit between my regular UK jobs at that point. The photo above was my very first trip to Europe at 18 for DFDS delivering herbal stuff to Boxmeer, NL. Look at me, couldn’t take a photo but living the dream! I did various other trips to Belgium and Holland with the 7.5tonners but not enough and certainly not to all the countries I wanted to get to. I have always wanted to drive to Scandinavia and got close to a once a month contract delivering race suspension parts from my home town of Braintree to Stockholm but again it didn’t quite come off. 
My perfect destination would have been something like Interlaken or perhaps even Cadiz. All of us must have destinations you wanted to get to but never have, even those who are regulars on the long distance routes, you must have, perhaps more specific destinations you want to get to. Of course when I had my tractor unit I would have loved the opportunity of Turkey or further afield but I made do with weekly trips to Belgium, Holland, Germany and the odd little bit of France. Of course doing the Middle East would have been on my list but realistically in my time it was dying out. Of course going to Doha like my Uncle Dick Snow did would have been awesome, following in the footsteps of those drivers would have been amazing. But most of the places I realistically wish I’d got to would have been in the little trucks. In no particular order my top three places I wish I’d got to in any of the trucks pictured would be;
So here’s the question, be honest as you can be, and no matter how far you have been where have you always wanted to get to?? Near or far I’m not fussed but I’d like to know. Karl Skiltons answer will be interesting I’m sure and I know the three Matthews will have interesting answers too! Come on, “I wish I’d been too…….”
Aren’t I predictable???! After everything I saw out and about last year and at all the shows in the UK and of course the trucking Mecca which is the Dutch Truckstar Festival, I come back to a true classic and of course as you all know my all time favourite truck – a 143 Streamline boogie. Yea, yea I know there are 10 or 20 trucks I couldn’t have chosen but this caught my eye late in the year and it’s just perfecto! I also like what Truckstyling Lunteren did to achieve their piece de resistance. 
Most of us want our own classic truck to take to shows, to live and care for and to make into a truck that perhaps was slightly before our time. This goes for all of us, Volvo, DAF, MAN, Mercedes-Benz are all now at the various oldtimer shows, but the number of 20/30 year old trucks available is dropping every year. So if you can’t find the classic you want what’s your only other option?? Yep, build one. 
Find a donor truck, in this case a rigid chassis with a boogie lift. Get the gas axe out and start cutting. I have no issue with this what-so ever although I’m sure some of you aren’t keen on trucks that aren’t original. Think of it like this, most want tractors as they are smaller and easy to keep, where as a long rigid chassis is to big for most to house. This in theory would then mean we have a load of decent rigid trucks that are just going to waste, so why not make the most of what’s left and turn a rigid into a tractor? Great idea!!
I spoke with Truckstyling Lunteren and they told me a few of the basics about what went on and this is the summary;
So after a year and a bit and lots of hard work they ended up with this gorgeous black beast. Will they sell it?? Unlikely unless they are offered a huge crazy price then they make think about it! Having made such a classic, that is the ultimate less-is-more truck I’m not sure I could bring myself to sell it either. The paint work is awesome and has a showroom finish to it and the interior is not crazy but gently styled with a bit of black and grey leather, in keeping with the trucks original colours. 
All in all I can’t think of a better looking 3 series, or in fact a better looking truck. I am in love and I apologise to all you non Scania fans, but you can’t deny that this is a cracker. Well done Truckstyling Lunteren, if my numbers come up on the Euromillions then you will get a silly offer for it! 
“Ship out to Hellas Sunday night please drive……”
Do you take the left or the right?? Why??
Sunday sticker giveaway!! I’ve got 10 stickers in envelopes needing addresses. If you want one please like my Facebook page, following me on Twitter or Instagram and send me a photo of your truck. The first ten names will be the lucky ones and happy to post to anywhere in the world…..
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Allez Allez Allez!!
So plenty more here to look through, I’ve received a few more since Part one. Plenty of Volvo, DAF, Mercedes-Benz and a few Scania. All high profile UK companies in this lot and all still doing continental. A fair reflection on how UK international transport has changed, all but a few doing other things instead of general haulage. As mentioned in Part 1 there is plenty of material in this lot for more blogs. Please comment below and please do scroll down to see everything. Drivers on this page please message me for your free TB sticker if you want one!
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