The Kingdom's trucking business is suffering a shortage of long haul, cross-country truck drivers. Officials of trucking companies said the shortage in drivers of heavy trucks will have a domino effect on the country's economy, particularly in the marketing and distribution of basic products, including locally produced and imported items. Even worse, they said, the situation will also trigger a further escalation in the prices of the majority of goods. “Within the next two months, if nothing is done to remedy this shortage of drivers, the cost of basic commodities is bound to go up even further, probably by as much as 20 percent,” said the general manager of one of the biggest trucking companies in Dammam, who asked that neither he nor his company be identified. He blamed the Ministry of Labor for the problem, saying it is not allowing enough visas for expatriate drivers. “Only 20 percent of the visas we had applied for have been issued by the ministry (of Labor), and even that happens after some lengthy red tape and bureaucracy,” said the trucking company's official. The supervisor of another trucking company that specializes in the hauling of agricultural produce said the long journeys and harsh working conditions keep Saudi nationals away from taking up the job of driving big rigs. “They are reluctant to take up these jobs due to social reasons and low pay, among other reasons,” he said. “Hence, we in the transport business rely upon foreign drivers who are willing to withstand long hours of travel at very affordable rates.” Recognizing the seriousness of the problem, the transportation committee of the Asharqia Chambers Eastern Province had recently met and discussed possible solutions. They particularly wanted more visas for foreign drivers. During the meeting, members of the committee said perishable goods are unable to reach their destinations on time, causing losses to both the producers and the retailers, simply because they couldn't find enough drivers to take the goods where they needed to go. The committee also noted a number of instances where cross-country trailer drivers disappeared with their trucks, which had been carrying millions of riyals' worth in goods. Two weeks ago, an Indian trucker made off with a refrigerator trailer loaded with fish worth SR5 million. “If the shortage of truck drivers continues, another burden will be added to the already hard situation of consumers,” said the manager of another of the largest trucking companies in the Eastern Province. “It would certainly appear that the sky is the limit for escalating prices of goods.” __
