Full Day Desert Drive - Liwa Yellow Truck - Abu Dhabi - 16 Dec 2023

[Looper]

Yellow Truck Season is upon us. It's an annual ritual held mostly during the month of December over a 2-day weekend. We invite you to the 2023 edition of the famed Yellow Truck Drive.

Yellow Truck, what is it?

Buried deep inside the Bu Hasa Desert near Madinat Zayed City, there is an abandoned water tanker truck, which due to its remote location, has become a pilgrimage for many Off roaders all over the UAE. It doesn't look like this anymore, in 2021 someone painted it in the truck on national flag colors, it is now taken care of in that respect. 

How did it get there? Nobody knows. Only Speculations.  It is literally in the middle of nowhere. We can go there and get our own ideas.

What's the location? https://goo.gl/maps/9aiJC29bUyRFHmvJ9

Those who wish to join this drive from Dubai it's a 3+ hours to the meeting point, so ideally well rested body will enjoy this entire day drive without much fatigue, so reaching a night before and camping or sleeping in the car at meeting point would be ideal, but completely optional for everyone. Some say the pre and post drive parties are as famous as the drive itself.

Let's all get together on the weekend of 16th December to fulfill our annual ritual obligation.

SIGNUP CHECKLIST

1. Please ensure that you are there at the meeting point at 7:30 AM sharp. Latecomers would be sent back. 
2. Firstly, get lots and lots of rest the previous day. The more the better as Liwa will not only challenge your vehicle but your mind as well. We would need your complete focus and fatigue due to less rest is the last thing that is needed on such a terrain. For those who prefer camping the previous night, you can do so at the starting point as it's a nice spaced-out area. Bring some firewood incase if you wish to have a bonfire to keep you warm. Cleaning up after the bonfire is mandatory.
3. Ensure that your 4x4 is well serviced recently and all the lubes and fluids are topped up.
4. 20 Liter / 40-liter fuel jerry can is needed depending on your vehicle. If you have any doubts, please post your query on the drive post and we will assist.
5. A full fuel tank at the meeting point.
6. The spare tire should be in good working condition. If not been used recently, ensure that you take it out and check the condition properly. Also ensure that you have the wrench that can be used to remove your tire (if needed). In the past we have seen that people upgrade their tires but keep the original wrench which is of no use to remove the upgraded tire. So please ensure that your car has the right tool to remove the tires (if needed).
7. Air compressor, proper shovel, flag, fire extinguisher, first aid kit,
8. Fully charged radio (tuned to all Carnity Frequencies) with spare battery / radio. If you have a car charger for your radio, please bring it along.
9. Please ensure that you know how to switch off traction control (turning off Air bags is not mandatory for this drive). If it requires pulling the fuse, please research before the drive or better still, post your queries on this drive post and we will assist.
10. Car charger / battery pack for your mobile.
11. Plenty of water, approx. 5 liters per person per day.
12. Bring along your breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. in easy to eat packaging. We shall be having breaks during the drive.
13. Dry food, energy bar, cookies, nuts, crisp to munch while driving
14. Bring garbage bags along to carry your trash. Littering in the desert is strictly prohibited.

Please take this event seriously and understand that this terrain, due to its remoteness and size of the dunes will challenge everyone on this drive. If you decide to bring passengers, please make sure they have spent a full day already in a vehicle in the desert and are used to it. There are hardly any nearby exit tracks and rerouting might take hours, so once we are in this terrain the aim is to complete the entire drive and visit the Yellow Truck 

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

DRIVE DETAILS

• Level:  Fewbie and above (graded split convoys will be prepared for the drive) 
• When: 16 Dec 2023, Saturday
• Meeting time:  7:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions)
• Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/bZ77eVtDJqDhGJBm7
• Approximate finish time: 5:00 PM
• Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.
• What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

EXTRA FUEL

NO 100 Liters of FUEL = NO DRIVE - Carry additional jerry cans accordingly

• SWB Cars: 2 Jerry can of extra fuel
• LWB Cars: 1 Jerry can of extra fuel
• 100+ liter fuel tank cars; No need for extra fuel.
• Last Fuel Station: https://goo.gl/maps/D6t1rXkuecZScyPZ9

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• RSVP is limited to 20 and will close on Friday 15th December - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

PLEASE RSVP ON BELOW CALENDAR

 

[Jaro Tuzinsky]

So pitty i will be out of country:(  guys have a great trip and fun!

[Bravoecho]

Would have loved to do this @Looper but will have to put this on the 2024 list 

[Luke K P]

oh no im out of the country! 
Looper Can you do it again in January for me and @Jaro Tuzinsky ?

[Looper]

3 hours ago, Bravoecho said:

Would have loved to do this @Looper but will have to put this on the 2024 list 

 

2 hours ago, PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke said:

oh no im out of the country! 
Looper Can you do it again in January for me and @Jaro Tuzinsky ?

 

4 hours ago, Jaro Tuzinsky said:

So pitty i will be out of country:(  guys have a great trip and fun!

No worries there will be more such drives in the future. There’s always a next time.

[Rafey Hashmi]

Hey @Looperhow many jerry cans would a Jimny require?

[Looper]

@Rafey Hashmi I have done Yellow Truck a couple of times. Once in FB (2020) convoy doing 101 km (GaiaGPS) and another time in a FB+ convoy (2021) (GaiaGPS) driving about 146 km. There was however a significant length of the drive done on a pilon track. Both times I carried 40l. For FB I didn’t fill till I reached the end point but for FB+ I did fill in 20l during lunch stop and remaining at the end. Note that in the desert I drive diligently conserving fuel, by keeping the auto stop-start on as well as switching off the car whenever we had any stoppages.

This time around we will drive approximately 100-110 km through the desert without any pillion track. I would recommend that you carry a minimum of 20l of fuel. 40l fuel, however, is an ideal recommendation considering the inordinate delays that could happen in the desert and there won’t be any nearby fuel stations unlike here when we drive in Dubai. 

We will update the recommendation again when the track is done, and the convoys are near finalized.

PS: the FB+ drive was longer since we had to recover a car from the drive, and it took about 40 km otherwise it would have been 100km drive as well. 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Looper
updated details

[Alphin Aloor]

Sorry if i missed this in the writeup - when does the rsvp open?

[Gaurav]

37 minutes ago, Alphin Aloor said:

Sorry if i missed this in the writeup - when does the rsvp open?

[Looper]

Please note that the participation limit is set at 20 & we will have at least 2 split convoys.