The Long Haul Pionneers - Astran

Authors: Ashley Coghill
Availalbe from www.toprun.ch
Languages: English
350 Seiten / pages, 28 x 22 cm - 345 Abbildungen / Pictures - Edition: 2010
Price: 36.50.- Euros

In 1964 Asian Transport, later to become Astran, pioneered overland transport from the UK to the Middle East, the 10,000 mile round trip that was to become a phenomenon in the haulage industry.

In the early days truckers had to cope with unfamiliar documentation, unmade roads, snowdrifts, dangerous mountains, desert sands and bandits. Some of these difficulties eased over the next twenty years, to be supplanted by problems of congested border posts and wars in the Balkans and Iran-Iraq.

The truckers who persevered were exceptional, needing high driving skills, stamina and diplomacy. Similarly, it was only the best companies -- such as Astran -- which ran the course. and its drivers covers all these points.

He interviewed many of the people involved, not least Bob Paul, one of the company's founder members. There are mini-biogs of Astran's drivers and sub-contractors accompanied by a wealth of photographs. Even more detail is given to Gordon Pearce and Dick Snow.


Chapters are also devoted to other areas of special interest: Astran's Doha depot; the delights of driving in Turkey; accidents and incidents; and the making of the television documentary Destination Doha.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• astran
• road
• transports
• scania
• volvo
• man
• daf
• steyr
• asian

[Fruit1968]

Is there a dutch translation of this book?

[BestTruckWebsite]

@Fruit1968 No its only in english

[swiftyjim2]

Brilliant book, I love the story about "Stuttering Bob and the wheel brace"..

[blobby1972]

I just got my copy reading it now great stories from all the old drivers .one about how one driver rounded the middle east in 18 days driving almost non stop .NUTTERS.LOL