DAMMAM — Business expert claim that foreign truck drivers are granted a 14-day transport visa to enter the Kingdom whereas Saudi truck drivers are not offered the same when they transport to other countries. Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry›s Terrestrial Transport Committee member, Bander Al-Jabri, said the Kingdom grants temporary visa to truck drivers from nearby countries to enter the Kingdom for transportation purposes. "The foreign drivers use the visa to offer cheaper transportation services than the unified rates and make significant profit. When Saudi truck drivers go to other countries, they cannot do the same because the laws in nearby countries are stricter," said Al-Jabri. He also said there should be penalties preventing foreign truck drivers from offering transportation services between the cities in the Kingdom. "The foreign truck drivers are granted visa to enter the Kingdom in order to transport goods from a nearby country into a company or office in the Kingdom. The foreign drivers offer a lesser rate by 50 percent," said Al-Jabri. He proposed to decrease the number of days of the transportation visa to seven days. "When the transportation jobs go to foreign truck drivers instead of Saudi drivers, the local economy is damaged," said Al-Jabri.
