New truckers

Moscow, the Urals, Siberia and other independent state through the eyes of a new type of truckers

For the average driver on the road wagon - it is wagon: what's in it and who is there in it - questions from the category of "why the trees sway." Meanwhile, in the cockpits of heavy trucks is happening very interesting for the sociologist things. During the crisis, the profession of truck driver suffered a serious upgrade: it rushed thousands of former business office workers, doctors, teachers and even police officers, bringing new rules, traditions and mentality. Trucker's face was noticeably smarter and look at the world around us - is much deeper. The correspondent of "PP" traveled half of Russia transplanting of wagon in wagon to understand these people and the country on which they drive.

Letters +14 ph Vladimir Antipin



Chicago union

- Hello, my friend! It Ruslan of support. What have you got problems? Black "Toyota" will rule? I did not notice how much there is in them? No? Okay now podedu.

Former big-name boxer Ruslan Omarov in Chelyabinsk club truckers "Big Brother" is registered modest forwarder. His work - tracking of trucks in the Chelyabinsk, the only city in the country in which truckers unguarded try not to call.

- In our town there are serious organized "team," but basically robbing small group of villains. Can meet the driver and at the entrance and at the exit, and even right in the center - Ruslan confidently leading the Chelyabinsk battered streets of the "nine", received a long time ago as a prize for another victory in the ring. - Now let's see what's behind tinted "Toyota" announced.

But the encounter with the living avtograbitelyami this time, you can not - when they saw the car of Ruslan, the driver of a foreign car abruptly gives on gases and disappears into the maze of garages, nearly crushing peacefully walking along the road raskonvoirovannyh cons: Long Dmitry Nagovicyn of Udmurtia, which require the services of escort, unloaded next One of the areas of the city in a few.

- One and a half hours I was grazed, - he explains. - I am now before leaving the city easily accessible to. Then I too own.

- I work "at his master." Behind the wheel of three years. House mother and father and siblings - four of them. All have to be fed, - says Dmitry me until Ruslan goes ahead, showing the way to the client. - Although parents money that I give them, spend on drink. I myself do not drink. At all. Ice-cream like more. I can eat a box.



"Squire" or "wealthy man" hired truckers called the owner of the trucking company. Those who travel on their own wagons, consider lucky: the dream of every trucker - sooner or later be a maximum of "gentleman" or at least the owner of at least one machine.

- In the summer it was good - continues to Dmitry. - Hay to you in Russia were taken. There are all burned, livestock feed nothing. Something more or less just a freak here. We raised a lot of money then.

"To you in Russia" - is not a reservation. For the people "behind the big wheel" that are on the road to spend most of his life, the country has long been divided into separate states: Moscow, the national republics of the North, Far East ... At first, this feeling-life of a few jars, but it wears off too many meet evidence that truckers are right.

Service club "Big Brother" on maintenance cost 399 rubles. This is the lowest price in town. Away Ruslan Dmitry holds a special club card and a sticker stating that the holder is protected. Local gangsters do roughly the same thing, but their services cost several times more expensive, and instead of stickers - a simple piece of paper with unintelligible scrawl. And no guarantee the owner of "Malyava" does not receive, as in the "works" a huge number of not linked to each other "teams". This is a feature of Chelyabinsk. There is no unity of command of any official power structures, even more so in criminal.

- I go unarmed. The club has a strong reputation, and we prefer not to get involved. - We are talking with Ruslan in a roadside cafe on the route Moscow - Chelyabinsk. Next to the institution of a huge banner reading "Armed escort for the city." - We irregular schedule, the application may proceed at any time. While the permanent members of the club are trying to warn about his appearance in advance. All. We finish with coffee. It's time to go. It is necessary to carry out the client with the Tartars to the place of unloading.



Client stopped about thirty kilometers from the city. Next to go alone did not dare to prefer to wait until freed Ruslan.

In the evening, we meet with the president of the club truckers 'Big Brother' Cyril Kartashkovym. This colorful burly redhead in a red tracksuit. President goes on tinted "Hammer" with inverted numbers.

- This is me - he says - to dispute the numbers are not reversed. Many people have made bets that the traffic police force numbers outweigh. While all disputants lose.

Local journalists Kartashkova organization called "Chicago union." He's on a comparison with American gangsters did not take offense. "Big Brother" - the structure is really serious. Only official members include 10,300 truckers, it is almost one fifth of the country's truck drivers. Branches of the organization operate in several regions of Russia and CIS countries. Is your parking, cafes, repair shops. Monthly fee for each truck driver - a thousand rubles. In general, a kind of general federal "roof": paid - and you go wherever you want.

The club takes on another function and arbitration: a couple of times he declared a boycott of transport firms who threw drivers. This phenomenon is common: it is possible to transport the goods, but the money for it and did not get. Organizations that fall under the boycott, suffered serious losses.

- We are not a trade union - explains Kartashkov swallowing another dumpling with bear meat, they cooked in the cafe for him. - We do not make membership dues. To be honest, our main income comes from the fact that members of the club are served in our friendly car repair stop on our parking lots, eat in our cafe, sleep in the right hotel. And so they did all the time, we have to ensure their safety. If all the bandits sleeves off the track, if a merchant will throw drivers, who will be working on the road?

- And the police can not ensure safety on the roads?



- Police all can if desired. But there is practically unsolvable problem. Here the police caught another robber. To put it, we need a statement from the victims. But not everyone agrees trucker lose hours to prepare all the documents. In the investigations and the courts in general almost nobody comes. Robbed something we have it in Chelyabinsk, and he lives in Kirov. Clearly, it will not go anywhere. So we have in the fight against lawlessness on the roads in some ways easier than law enforcement. We have less than formalities. Let me tell you about the legend of the best Black Trucker tell. Once on the 1666-kilometer highway ...



World conspiracy

- Three hours to the parking lot we saw. I have a car slowly and sadly, not adapted for racing.

The plot runs to the border between Europe and Asia, we will have to overcome a cargo hauler based car "Ural". The driver, a young man smiling Artem Pinzhakov, originally from the suburbs of Chelyabinsk. On the track has been working for several years, he settled immediately after demobilization.

- Trucks often break down. Sometimes several calls a day - says Artem. - Some - because of the poor quality of roads. Some - because of the global conspiracy automakers.

- Because of a conspiracy?

- Because of the World. In the world of trucks produce only a few firms. If they initially make quality, they will be almost eternal. And then what more to earn their producers? That is why parts for trucks and serve as much as it is written in the warranty card, and not a second more. Have you ever wondered why, for example, American cars 50's release are more expensive than the new models?

- Now that's thinking.

- Because they go so far without major repairs. Then the machines did wrong. Then manufacturers are thinking: Why do quality and earn less, if you can make a little worse and earn much more on the service? Sometimes it comes to the ridiculous. For example, before the sleeve to a certain model of the truck was threaded from left to right. Now it began to make a thread from right to left, and the old kind of just laid off. That is a second-hand truck spare part that you do not deliver. Go out and buy a new model - and the truck, and bushings. Savage grin of capitalism, in a word.



Before we reach the place two and a half hours. Broken truck is just under the stele indicating the borders of the continent. Evacuation of the Swedish domestic tractor "Ural" looks symbolic: Russian Swede pulls from Europe to Asiatic. In fact, this is exactly where the border, can not say no. In each of the Ural regions there are at least two such places. Most truckers are confident that Europe begins in Tatarstan and ends at the exit from it. At least it is there, according to the drivers, better roads in Russia.

In the parking lot only one wagon. However, the driver with us along the way. Smiling tyumenets specify how much we have and exactly where we're going. Then advertise on the radio:

- Here on the Europe-Asia two journalists. They toward Moscow. Is there anyone on the American side by side?

Trucks American production are the most spacious, and two extra trunk for such machines - a mere trifle. In Europe the truck usually only one seat for the passenger. After 15 minutes, stopped by the monument impressive Mahina. Behind the wheel of Mikhail Comus from Omsk. Goes to Kazan, agrees to throw to a small provincial town Sim.

- I'm fifteen years on the road. The whole country has traveled far and wide. Generally believed that the road - this is the circulatory system of the country. And truckers - it is the red blood cells that the blood through the veins chase.

Philosopher at the wheel of the truck we have not surprising. Among the drivers a lot of people envy imaginative thinking that a Harvard graduate. Constant movement in space is very stimulating brain activity.

- If you - red blood cells, the blood clots then who?

- Blood clots - those who hinder us. For example, soon podedem to the point of weight control. I was there the whole brain clots vygryzut not be released until I told them I will not give 500 rubles.



Paragraphs weight control today the main truckers nightmare. Even worse than the cops. Passing such an item without a bribe is almost unreal. Most machines are in flight with a serious overdrive, and a violation of the law. So, too, platelets can understand: either pay or do not break.

- And how can we not break? All companies will ship roughly one and a half kilos instead. Nowhere on it does not get. If you do not agree to the overload, there is always someone who will agree. And you will remain without money, - says Mikhail. - So it is possible to stop and penalize anyone. Well, what I'm going to empty: now just the famous 1666-km will pass.

In the notice the two lying on the side of the road and overturned trucks starting to believe in the legend of the Black Truckers. According to the driver's belief, sometime around here because of unrequited love (unrequited love - a traditional motif of the legends of the Black Dembele, Black ensign and even janitors Black) truck driver was killed. Since there is his black soul rest, and the specter of a rushing toward the truck scares often passing on this part of the track truckers. They try to avoid a collision and fly off to the sidelines. In general, a suitable plot for the film in the genre of folk horror. Use.

Blogger driving

We stop for the night in a small hotel near the town on the border Sim Chelyabinsk region and Bashkortostan. Problems overnight truckers have not. In most cases they prefer to sleep in the car on special parking. But sometimes stop in the motels of the highways, good road infrastructure on the most popular destinations today is not very different from the European. Unless, of course, does not take into account the quality of the roadway. Although they now vigorously engaged in, it is clear even to those who do not suffer from excessive social optimism.

In all the regions through which we were able to drive, now there are large-scale repairs. People in orange vests clock lay asphalt, widen roads and reconstruct bridges. Despite the fact that the street subzero temperature.

- Yes, it's a violation of GOST - says one of the team leaders. - But we're not in the business. We have the money to work just a week ago came from the budget. And all summer competitions were for repairs. Now the main thing - to have time to make the whole volume, quality nobody cares. In the spring, of course, here again, the track will have to redo. But it does not matter to us, but to those who are drawn to the financing of the latter.

The cafe at the hotel sold out and celebrations International: at one table sit the drivers from Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states and Kazakhstan. Separately housed only two truckers who are not lucky to be born in the capital of our country. Muscovites do not like on the road more than the Roma at the station. Moscow rooms - it is a curse. Every policeman is committed to such fine the wagon, not even for the sake of self-interest, but only for the moral satisfaction. The reason is simple. "Let them fall, and that all the money taken from the regions and zhiruyut there in his Moscow" - formulated the opinion of the professional shop one depeesnikov who have come to the cafe snack.

- Here explain to me why you needed last year the snow in Siberia? - Sets out the truckers, Muscovites claim another elderly driver from Novokuznetsk. - Your money nowhere to go? I personally have three separate raids in Sheregesh (a village in the south of the Kemerovo region. - "PP") made.

I ask:

- As the snow - this is a joke?

- What the heram dog joke? !!! Seriously, snow drove in Moscow. They've got some skiing competitions were, and there was no snow. That drove him for four thousand kilometers from Siberia. I was in Nizhny Novgorod policeman on duty stopped and asked: "What are you taking?" I told him: "Snow." He said: "Are you kidding? Now for his jokes will remain without pants. " Ref demanded (the refrigerator. - "PP") open. Five minutes viewed. Then he gasped: "Oh ... Are they really there" - and let me go.

Gathered around the table together neigh. Tension around the Muscovites shot. They were even invited to join and treat beer.

With attacks moskvofobii we face throughout the trip. In the end even begin to think that hatred of the Muscovites - the only thing that unites all people in the country. For the rest, every man for himself. On the track it catches the eye. From Soviet collectivism, mutual support, and so on are almost no trace, but on a national unity - and even more so. Chelyabinsk, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Nizhny Novgorod - it's actually like Texas, Kansas and California in America: a country like one, but each state has its own laws. Even the shape of traffic police in different regions though not dramatically, but still different.

- ABOUT! Somewhere near the traffic police or the camera is. Most likely, the camera, about the car the guys warned over the radio.

Squeak publishes a special device. He is almost every truck. It picks up signals from the police radar and cameras and seven hundred meters alerts the owner.

Technological advances now considerably complicate the lives of participants roadside checks: all cars are equipped with this technology, which is traded on the track hundreds of enterprising citizens. But truckers life ever since they got their own wave, significantly changed: the air they poison jokes, tell stories, share their sexual experiences, educate each other on any topic. In this communicative space already have their own recognizable personality, who listened with particular interest.

In fact, this is such a road blogosphere, blogs are only carried out in the audio mode. And, like all bloggers, truckers have lately grown very civic consciousness. The appearance of the traffic police inspector in advance, they warn each other standard phrase: "In such and such a city working machine." So what a surprise appearance on the road "Seller striped sticks" practically impossible.