Exhausted truckers unable to sleep

Al Ghuwaifat: In 24 hours they've moved just 5km.

Heat exhaustion coupled with sleep deprivation is taking its toll on truck drivers, many of whom have been waiting for three days to cross over to Saudi Arabia. The trail of trucks still stretches for 24km.

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"I have snatched only a few hours of sleep over the past three days. We can't afford to sleep for long because other drivers overtake and move ahead in the queue," said Gulam Ahmad.

There has been no respite for the trucks drivers ferrying goods to neighbouring countries as Saudi authorities continue their stringent checks. The drivers said the Saudi authorities are fingerprinting them which is causing the delays.

Drivers said they wait for three days near Al Ghuwaifat and then another three at Al Batha in Saudi Arabia before they can resume their journey.

One driver Zahid said his truck takes 10 minutes to start up and hence he cannot switch off his engine and take a nap.

"My run is from Jebel Ali to Makkah. What used to take four days is now taking nine to 10 days." "The Saudi authorities are unloading all our goods and checking them thoroughly. They are charging us 35 Saudi riyals [Dh34.25] for unloading and loading our goods. Customs officials in Saudi Arabia are charging us to check our goods. We are extremely happy with the Abu Dhabi authorities.

When senior officials see there is a rush, they immediately order more counters to be opened to streamline the process. The UAE operates counters 24 hours, but the Saudi authorities do not. They work from 6am to 10pm. They process papers till midnight, but no inspections after 10pm.

It takes a minimum of 20 minutes to insepct a truck depending on the goods, it also could take longer," Gulam said.