Jordanian trucks stalled at Saudi-UAE border, ‘customs system failure’ blamed — association

AMMAN  — A large number of Jordanian trucks are stalled at the Al Batha border crossing between the UAE and Saudi Arabia due to a reported “customs system failure”, according to President of the Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies Deifallah Abu Aqouleh.

The association is in communication with drivers who include both Jordanian and non-Jordanians, who want to transit through Saudi Arabia, Abu Aqouleh told The Jordan Times.

These trucks are en route to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Palestine, he added.

The trucks have been stranded for four to five days at the crossing because of the “customs system failure as said by the drivers”, Abu Aqouleh noted.

The association president said that Saudi Arabia is working on finding solutions to the issue and that the customs authorities in Riyadh are fixing the problem, which is expected to be resolved soon.

“We trust the Saudi authorities’ ability to solve the problem, and we are aware that they are working on solving the issue as soon as possible,” he said.

Abu Aqouleh expressed hopes that the issue would be resolved soon as many of the trucks are carrying perishable goods, such as juice, cookies, dates, among others. 

“These are commodities for Ramadan and for Eid Al Fitr and they should arrive soon to the market,” he said.

Currently, there are more than 1,000 trucks in the queue, 150 of which are Jordanian, he said.

Some traders in the UAE stopped sending goods by truck and opted for sea vessels, he added.

“As part of the private sector, we are in constant communication with our counterparts. There is also cooperation between customs departments in Jordan and Saudi Arabia already, and we hope that the issued will be resolved soon,” he said.