Ban on used heavy vehicles comes under review

Second-hand heavy vehicle traders have said they incurred huge losses following a decision last Wednesday to ban the registration of such vehicles made before 2000.

Dubai Transport's decision was put into effect immediately and was frozen on Saturday. Traders who spoke to Gulf News said they feared that if Dubai Transport implemented the decision again most second-hand heavy vehicle companies would leave the business within two years.

Mohammad Bu Ghulaitha, the owner of one of the emirate's major second-hand heavy vehicles companies, said: "I can't express my losses or other traders' losses in figures since this decision was implemented.

"This business is not isolated. We have business links with major and international companies in Europe, whose businesses also got affected by this decision. There are companies in Europe which stopped the shipment of their products to Dubai because of this decision, as it feared the shipment might get stuck in the ports."

He said the decision affected the market as well.

"I have many second-hand vehicles and equipment made before 2000. Since the decision was announced, nobody has been willing to buy them from me as they fear they won't get registered at the Traffic Department.

"Yesterday, I had to promise a buyer that I would buy the vehicle back in one year's time if this decision was implemented again."

He said proper research should have been carried out before the decision was implemented and second-hand traders should have been involved in the discussions.

Jamal Al Merri, director of a second-hand heavy vehicle company, Raed Al Shera'a, said: "Dubai Transport implemented the ban without any notice."

Al Merri said the ban had caused traders to lose thousands of dirhams.

"Some of the traders who work in the second-hand heavy vehicle transport business lost about Dh20,000 to Dh30,000 a day due to the delay in transporting raw materials.

"All these delays would have been avoided if they planned things properly."

He said Dubai Transport came up with the decision and implemented it immediately.

"They don't know about the background and the operations of this business. For example, about two months ago, I bought heavy vehicles worth Dh1.5 million from Germany, and the shipment takes a long time.

"Most of these vehicles were made between 1995 and 1999 but it does not mean they are not in good condition," he said.

Brigadier Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of Dubai Traffic Police Department, said the decision had not come from the traffic police and was stopped following adverse reaction from second-hand heavy vehicle traders.

He said starting from this week, all second-hand heavy vehicles must undergo a roadworthiness test before they can be registered.

Vehicles must pass roadworthiness test

Heavy vehicles manufactured before 2000 and used by transport companies may be registered if they pass the roadworthiness test.

A senior official from Dubai Transport Company said: "About two years ago, the Government of Dubai set up a committee made up of Dubai Transport, Dubai Traffic Police, and Dubai Department of Economic Development representatives to look into the issue of these heavy vehicles used by transport companies.

"The committee came up with a decision to ban the registration of vehicles manufactured before 2000."

The source added: "Dubai Transport decided that all heavy vehicles which were manufactured before 2000 would not be registered.

"However, many transport companies import used heavy vehicles manufactured before 2000 to transport material to construction sites in the emirate. Thus, the committee is reconsidering the ban."

He added that now the committee had asked the Traffic Police to check second-hand heavy vehicles to ensure they did not have any problems.

"Earlier, we used to have many problems with these old heavy vehicles such as their being unsafe and causing environmental pollution, among many other problems.

"Following the test, the traffic department is going to register vehicles which do not have these problems," the official said.

He added that the ban was currently not in force.