The Ministry of Transport: Saudi Arabia is capable of transporting all goods to meet the demand in the Gulf countries

In an interview with Al Arabiya Business, he explained that the current conditions for air and sea transport in the Gulf have led to greater reliance on land transport between the GCC countries, noting that the ports on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia rely on receiving goods and transporting them by land within the Kingdom and the Gulf countries.

Adaptability

He pointed out that the land transport fleet is capable of adapting to changes and developments in demand and transport routes. It serves as a key link between different modes of transport, whether through ports, airports, or logistics zones.

He stated that the authority has an electronic platform through which it can monitor the movement of goods in Saudi Arabia and follow up on the sector continuously.

Regarding regulatory procedures, Al-Tassan pointed to a package of initiatives launched to keep pace with these current changes, most notably the launch of a unified electronic guide for carriers via the “Logistics” platform, which includes the types of shipments that can be transported to carriers, and aims to facilitate access in the Kingdom or in the Gulf countries to transport service providers in the Kingdom, according to the type of shipments required.

The measures included allowing empty Gulf refrigerated trucks to enter the Kingdom to load goods, especially food and medicine. The operational lifespan of trucks allowed to enter the Kingdom was also extended for an additional two years as an exceptional measure, to increase the capacity of the transport sector.

Priority for basic commodities

He noted that coordination had been made with the Saudi Ministry of Interior to facilitate the movement of trucks by reducing the times when they are prohibited from crossing roads, which contributes to accelerating transportation operations and improving the efficiency of supply chains.

Facilities that own private transport fleets have also been allowed to use them to serve other parties, in response to increased demand.

Regarding passenger transport, initiatives were launched in cooperation with the private sector to transport stranded people between the Gulf countries for free, in addition to providing shuttle transport services in some areas.

Al-Tassan stated that there is a clear priority for transporting essential goods, especially food and medicine, which explains the focus on refrigerated trucks and facilitating their movement, to ensure the continuity of supplies under exceptional circumstances.

The Vice President for the Regulatory Sector at the General Transport Authority, Abdul Majid Al-Tasan, revealed that the land transport fleet in Saudi Arabia exceeds half a million trucks and is capable of transporting all types of goods to meet the demand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

He explained in an interview with “Al Arabiya Business” that the current conditions for air and sea transport in the Gulf have led to a greater reliance on land transport between the member states, pointing out that the ports on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia are used to receive goods and transport them by land within the Kingdom and the Gulf countries.

Adaptability

He noted that the land transport fleet is capable of adapting to changes and developments in demand and transport routes. It serves as a key link between different modes of transport, whether through ports, airports, or logistics areas.

He stated that the authority has an electronic platform through which it can monitor the movement of goods transport in Saudi Arabia and continuously track the sector.

Regarding regulatory measures, Al-Tasan referred to a package of initiatives that have been launched to keep pace with these current changes, the most notable of which is the launch of a unified electronic guide for carriers through the “Logisti” platform, which includes the types of shipments that can be transported for carriers and aims to facilitate access in the Kingdom or in Gulf countries to transport service providers in the Kingdom, according to the type of required shipments.

The measures included allowing empty Gulf refrigerated trucks to enter the Kingdom to load goods, especially food and medicines, and the operational lifespan of trucks permitted to enter the Kingdom has also been extended for an additional two years exceptionally, to increase the capacity of the transport sector.

Priority for Essential Goods

He indicated that coordination has been made with the Saudi Ministry of Interior to facilitate the movement of trucks by reducing the times of road crossing restrictions, which contributes to speeding up transport operations and improving the efficiency of supply chains.

Additionally, establishments that own private transport fleets have been allowed to use them to serve other parties in response to the increasing demand.

On the passenger transport front, initiatives have been launched in collaboration with the private sector to transport stranded individuals between Gulf countries for free, along with providing shuttle transport services in some areas.

Al-Tasan stated that there is a clear priority for transporting essential goods, primarily food and medicines, which explains the focus on refrigerated trucks and facilitating their movement to ensure the continuity of supplies under exceptional circumstances.