Saudi sets new work limits for truckers

Saudi Arabia’s Public Transport Authority has changed the amount of time truck drivers can legally be on the road at any one time, in a bid to avoid tiredness and exhaustion.

According to sources quoted in local media, the authority’s new regulations limit truckers’ work to a maximum of nine hours per day, and 56 hours per week, with sufficient intervals to allow the drivers to rest.

Daily newspaper Al Madina reported that the PTA highlighted the importance of rest time for the drivers’ own safety, the safety of other road users, and the prevention of accidents.

The rules also stipulate that the fortnightly work of truckers should not exceed 90 hours, and that drivers should rest for at least 45 minutes after every four and a half hours of continuous driving, according to the source, with 11 hours of rest daily, and 48 hours of rest after every week of continuous work.

Fines between SAR2,000 ($535) and SAR5,000 ($1,335) could be imposed if these rules are violated.

Al Madina’s source added that the launch of the new rules would coincide with the introduction of an advanced system that would electronically monitor the movement of trucks on the kingdom’s roads, made possible by the mandatory installation of an electronic tag on all trucks.