By Majorie van Leijen www.emirates247.com
The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has suggested to develop legislations that determine the maximum number of driving hours for heavy vehicle drivers that are allowed to drive trucks with a load of 3.5 tons, said Maitha bin Adai in a statement to Emirates 24/7.
The suggestion has been made by the RTA to curb accidents involving heavy vehicles and increase overall safety on the road.
Currently, there is no limit on the number of hours truck drivers are permitted to drive consecutively by law. In the Truck and Bus Guidebook, the RTA recommends never driving more than 10 hours in any 24-hour period.
In practice, these recommendations are not always followed. “In general our drivers do 10 hour shift, but it does happen that these shifts become longer,” admits Mohammad Kashif, manager of Sardar Transport.
With no restrictions on the number of hours a driver may work, it is up to the driver himself, he explains. “Some drivers are OK working longer shifts. The younger drivers in the age-group 24-30 years old are more comfortable doing long shifts, whereas drivers above the age of 36 prefer 8-hour shifts, because physical limitations may appear,” the Pakistani manager explained. More info
