The Saudi decision, which prohibits the entry of trucks and buses older than 20 operational years into its territory, has negatively impacted Syrian transit trade and goods. These now linger for days at the “Nasib/Jaber” border crossing between Syria and Jordan, whether they intend to unload their cargo within Jordanian territory or intend to transit through it. This decision requires shipping and cargo companies to unload their trucks at the Jordanian Jaber port and transfer them to newer trucks before proceeding to Gulf countries.
Ayman Jouban, Head of Border Outlets for the Syrian Goods Shipping Companies Union, spoke to “Sputnik” about the impact of this decision, highlighting that “around 1,200 refrigerated trucks are still stalled at the Nasib crossing, due to the decision issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” Jouban added that “the decision was made some time ago and was implemented at the beginning of the current month. It specifies the manufacturing year of the truck that will enter the Kingdom, with vehicles manufactured in 2004 or earlier being banned from entering or transiting through Saudi Arabia.”
Following suit, Jordan decided to adhere to the Saudi decision, preventing the entry of trucks manufactured in 2004 or earlier. This caused congestion and halted trucks manufactured in 2004 at the crossing. He pointed out that many of the Syrian vehicle fleet is old and lacks a “visa,” and this decision was applied to all vehicles, Syrian or otherwise.
Continuing his talk to “Sputnik,” the border outlets official confirmed that “there isn’t a fleet of trucks on the Jordanian side capable of transporting Syrian goods from the Jaber crossing towards Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. This lack contributes to the congestion, along with there being only one lane at the crossing for trucks to enter.” Jouban indicated “there isn’t any decision from the Syrian side that prohibits the import of goods from Jordan. The Saudi decision led to this crisis, and solutions are difficult given there isn’t a Jordanian fleet capable of accommodating the Syrian goods meant for export.”
The Saudi decision came after the Saudi Transport Authority updated its regulations concerning cargo transport on trucks, passenger transport on buses, and taxis on land roads to align with necessary safety requirements. The decision stipulates that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will implement conditions and commitments on the national carrier for all foreign trucks, buses, and taxis crossing its territory. Regarding trucks, these conditions include: the application of operational age on trucks transiting through the Kingdom used in cargo transport activities, which is 20 years from the manufacturing year, and is currently applied to trucks heading to the Kingdom.
