A History of Kepstowe Freight Services Ltd.

Book excerpt: The long-haul overland run to the old Soviet Union, prior to Perestroika, Glasnost and the collapse of communism under Gorbachov back in the 1980s and 90s, has never really been documented in a book. Other than an occasional tale of the difficulties involved verbalised in pub conversations, and passed by word of mouth to those who might be interested enough to listen, it would never see the light of day. This tome is an excellent attempt by the author, Mat Ireland, to put that lack of the written word to rights. There have been a numerous books published about the ‘Golden Era’ of overland haulage to the Middle East. But while that particular adventure was taking place, there were other ‘frontiers’ being quietly breached and explored by hauliers pursuing a different market. This book is the story of just such a transport company, Kepstowe Freight. Sometimes known as the ‘alternative Middle East’, the overland routes into the old Soviet Union have never had their story recorded in print, yet they were just as gruelling on the driver and machine as any trips to the Arabian Peninsula or Iran. Whereas most people’s perception of the Middle East is all sunshine and sand, the same people’s perception of Russia is often all snow and freezing temperatures. Of course, neither picture is the total truth and the overbearing heat, arid climes and loneliness of the central Russian steppes could easily rival the desertification of Syria and Iraq. Kepstowe Freight was one of the British companies pioneering these early journeys behind the Iron Curtain into the ‘dark, scary’ world of Soviet Union communism. Featuring mostly previously unseen photographs, A History of Kepstowe Freight Services Ltd repeats drivers' recollections about their escapades and adventures into a land rarely visited by western society, and their attempts at dealing with the inherent corruption, horrendous roads and unpredictable weather along the way. It goes on to show how exponentially rapidly the country changed after its 1990 collapse, with the accompanying culture shock to the populace and especially to the transport system.