Truck movement resumes as logjam eases at S.Arabia-UAE border

AMMAN  — Jordanian trucks began leaving Al Batha border crossing between the UAE and Saudi Arabia after a reported “customs system failure”, yet the number of stalled trucks remain in thousands, according to President of the Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies Deifallah Abu Aqouleh.

“It is important to speed up the process to avoid any further losses,” he told The Jordan Times. 

The trucks are not only headed to Jordan, but also to several other countries in the region, Abu Aqouleh said. 

According to Al Mamlaka TV, Saudi authorities restored work at the Al Batha border crossing after it was suspended for at least 13 days.

Personnel at Al Batha border crossing entered information regarding the drivers and trucks into the customs system, facilitating their passage towards Jordan, according to the report. 

Director of GAM’s public transport operations department, Abdul Rahim Al Wreikat, indicated that the trucks started leaving for Jordan after fixing the malfunction. 

According to Wreikat, the whole process may take “some time” taking into account the long queue of trucks.

According to the truck drivers currently at Al Batha border, there are about 400 Jordanian trucks in the UAE in total, at least 250 of which are stuck at the Saudi border due to traffic congestion. The remaining trucks are carrying goods from the UAE side in preparation for their transfer to Jordan.