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Long Haul Pioneers, The: A Celebration of Astran: Leaders in Overland Transport to the Middle East for Over 40 Years
£9.50
It all started in 1964 when two friends gave up promising medical careers to embark upon a journey which few hardened truckers would have considered. In so doing, they were solely responsible for creating the first long haul overland route, across Europe and deep into the Middle East to Kabul. The men had started the ‘Middle East Run’ was to become a phenomenon in the road haulage industry, an image which it still holds today. This book is about the company founded by one of those men, from its fledgling days as Asian Transport to the thriving Astran Cargo Services Ltd that it is today. In this book Ashley Coghill documents the complete history of the company to date with the focus predominantly on the early days when the men were fighting for something and revelling in the adventure. These early long haul drivers would think nothing of a 10,000 mile round trip to Iran or the Arabian Gulf and being stranded at 6,000 feet on a mountain pass with temperatures below -40 was just all in a day’s work. Ashley Coghill has an immense enthusiasm for his subject and has given his research total dedication. He has also tracked down past and present employees to gather first hand information which he has illustrated with over 300 carefully selected images. The end result is a detailed, comprehensive and fascinating account of an extraordinary company.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Old Pond Books (1 Jan. 2010) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 44111 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 593 pages |
by RecyMech
I read this book after reading “Not All Sunshine and Sand” and “Cola Cowboys.” Long Haul Pioneers makes the other two books pale into insignificance!! If you are looking for your first book to read about trucking to Saudi Arabia etc then don’t waste your money on the first two books I have mentioned. Yes, this book is more expensive but better than the other two put together. Good maps, excellent photographs, good description, and great stories. Lots of variety and never dull. It was obviously a labour of love for the author and he has done a brilliant job. I love it!!!
by whizzbang
If you have any interest in lorries, or come from a time when real lorries were very hard to drive, you will love this book. At 75yrs old, I was transported back in time, and I loved it.
by nags ‘n’ cats
My husband is an x Astran ‘subby’ driver now retired bought him this book and he has read so many times. well worth the purchase even for those that never did that run but would show them that it wasn’t easy in the early days. Making your meals from a trailer box, washing in a nearby water trough…getting stuck and waiting for the next trucker to stop and help…as they did in those days…
by cambrica
I bought this book for my dad for Christmas as he had seen the DVD ‘Destination Doha’ and was recommended this book to read. He used to travel to the Middle East and was indeed one of the ‘Long Haul Pioneers’. Boxing day he phoned to say he is on one of the photo’s in the book taken near Istanbul. Overwhelming for him !! This book is brilliantly written and captures an era in truckers lives that cannot be easily imagined today and make them legends in their own right. This book has certainly made my Dad’s Christmas and brought to life some of the stories of his long haul adventures and friendships to the rest of his family.
by martin carroll
Fantastic read Ashley. Ray often told me stories about Astran and the trips out to the middle East it’s a shame that you could not contact him whilst researching your book as I’m sure there would be another chapter regarding his Graham,s and John frosts antics. They always kept in touch with each other and Ray looks forward to the reunions. RIP Graham cruelly taken by covid 19
They paved the way back in the day.
Regards Martin
by Wazzbo
Ashley Coghill has created a wonderful book, it took me back to when I did the job in the early eighties.
The pictures are very good and the memories of the drivers make for an interesting and enjoyable read. A lot of books about trucks leave a lot to be desired but not this one,I was gripped from page 1 and hardly put it down until I had read it from cover to cover. An excellent read telling what it was really like in the early days of pioneering the route to the middle east.
I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in road haulage, you will not be disappointed.
by russell gray
Very interesting book to read I could not put it down and it gives a good overview of life on the road
by northernblue
This is an absolute gem of a book. Extensively researched and superbly narrated, the strength of this book is the first-hand accounts from those who were there. It is also very well illustrated, although many of photos are relatively low-resolution, as might be expected from – what are largely – personal snap-shots taken by the drivers themselves. Overall, a very good read that should appeal to the enthusiast and general reader alike.