Amman, Sept. 9 (Petra) -- The Lower House of Parliament's Public Services and Transport Committee discussed a range of problems and challenges facing international transport vehicle operators, driving instructors, and delivery riders, as well as obstacles related to obtaining a Category 6 driving licence.

The meeting, chaired by MP Ayman Al-Badawneh, was held on Wednesday in the presence of Minister of Transport and Minister of Labour Nidal Katamine; Director-General of the Land Transport Regulatory Commission (LTRC) Riyad Al-Kharabsheh; Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Lara Al-Khateeb; Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Samira Al-Zoubi; Director of the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Department Brigadier General Omar Al-Quraan; Traffic Department Director Brigadier General Raed Al-Assaf; and representatives of the relevant sectors.

Al-Badawneh said the meeting was part of a series of discussions held by the committee with workers in various transport sectors to convey their demands directly to the relevant authorities, identify the causes of the problems they face, and reach practical, implementable solutions.

He said the transport sector, in all its forms, was an important service and economic sector that provided employment and sources of income for thousands of citizens, requiring a fair legislative and regulatory framework that protected the rights of workers, operators, and service recipients while taking public safety requirements into account.

Al-Badawneh also stressed the importance of reviewing the conditions and time requirements for obtaining Category 6 driving licenses in a way that balanced road safety requirements with the needs of workers in the truck and bus sectors.

Some drivers have practical experience, but the time required to progress between license categories posed a challenge for some of them, he said.

Katamine stressed the importance of listening to the demands of workers in the sector and finding appropriate solutions, noting that the Category 6 issue had been examined by several committees.
The ministry was keen to develop the transport system and improve the quality of its services in cooperation with the relevant authorities, he said.

Al-Quraan said the two-year requirement was part of the graduated driving license system aimed at ensuring drivers gained the necessary experience and maturity before operating larger vehicles.
Available data at the department did not indicate a shortage of Category 6 license holders compared with the number of buses and trucks, he said.

He added that the driving license classification system was currently undergoing a comprehensive review ahead of major amendments, including restructuring the categories, time requirements, and progression between them, in line with society's needs while maintaining safety requirements.

Al-Kharabsheh said work was under way to develop the regulatory framework in a manner that took into account the nature of the freight sector and the circumstances of its workers, stressing the need for practical solutions that kept pace with developments while maintaining public safety as a key priority.

Al-Assaf said the Traffic Law regulated the entry and overnight parking of trucks in residential areas, adding that field and automated monitoring of violations related to freight vehicle movements was continuing.

He also pointed to the expansion of channels through which citizens could report traffic violations via the Sanad application, alongside other available electronic means, stressing the importance of involving citizens in promoting road safety and reducing violations and congestion.

Representatives of truck drivers called for a review of the time required to progress through license categories to Category 6 and for easier procedures for upgrading licenses, taking into account drivers' practical experience and the sector's needs while maintaining public safety requirements and protecting workers' sources of income.

On delivery riders, Al-Badawneh stressed the need for greater coordination among the relevant authorities to establish a clear regulatory framework addressing riders' conditions and their relationship with companies, providing them with protection and safeguarding their financial and social rights and the stability of their sources of income.

The committee had received a complaint signed by about 411 people regarding the matter, he said.

Katamine said the nature of platform- and app-based work had created challenges in defining the relationship between workers and employers.

Discussions had been held with the Social Security Corporation (SSC) and app companies to develop a framework that provided social protection for workers while taking into account the nature of their work, particularly protection related to work injuries and disability, he said.

Al-Khateeb said the TRC's mandate focused on regulating and licensing companies that provide delivery and postal dispatch services and did not extend directly to the relationship between delivery riders and companies.

She said coordination with the relevant authorities was continuing to address overlapping regulatory issues.

Al-Zoubi stressed the importance of providing the necessary protection for delivery riders, noting continued coordination among the concerned authorities to address their conditions, as well as the importance of protecting personal data and the privacy of app users in accordance with applicable legislation.

Representatives of delivery riders outlined demands for a clear regulatory umbrella, fair pricing that took operating costs into account, regulation of their relationship with companies, and protection from additional financial burdens related to permits and fees, as well as social and insurance coverage.

On international transport vehicles, Al-Badawneh stressed the importance of addressing challenges related to vehicle operating age and financial and operating costs in a way that protected vehicle owners' investments and enabled them to continue working.

He stressed the need for solutions to mitigate the effects of regulatory changes affecting the sector.

Katamine said the ministry was following the demands of international transport vehicle owners and, in cooperation with the LTRC and other relevant authorities, was studying possible solutions and alternatives to ease the challenges they faced and protect their investments and sources of income.

Al-Kharabsheh said regulatory changes affecting transport operations had created challenges for a number of operators and vehicle owners.

The commission had taken mitigating measures and provided alternative operating options for a number of affected vehicles and continued to examine possible regulatory solutions to maintain the sector's sustainability, he said.

International transport vehicle owners called for a review of vehicles' permitted operating age and for measures to address the effects of related restrictions, as well as a reconsideration of the additional tax and a reduction in financial and operating burdens to protect their investments and sources of income.

On driving training vehicles, Al-Badawneh stressed the importance of protecting instructors' rights and investments in training vehicles and addressing issues related to registering vehicles in the names of training centers while safeguarding instructors' civil and financial rights.

He said partnerships among a number of instructors and the establishment of training centers owned by them represented one possible solution, provided licensing procedures were facilitated and obstacles to implementation removed.

Al-Quraan said legislation governing the sector required training vehicles to be registered in the names of licensed training centers.

The department was prepared to facilitate procedures for instructors wishing to establish partnerships and their own centers and to review and simplify licensing procedures and requirements to help address existing problems and protect rights, he said.

Responding to MPs' questions about driving license tests, Al-Qiuraan denied the existence of any policy or direction to increase failure rates to generate additional fee revenues.

The purpose of the test was to ensure that applicants were qualified, capable of driving safely, and committed to traffic rules and safety requirements, he said.

The practical driving test was subject to 32 assessment criteria on which examiners were required to evaluate license applicants, he said.

Possessing vehicle driving skills alone was not sufficient to obtain a license, as applicants must comply with driving rules and safety requirements that qualified them to use the road safely and protect themselves and others, he added.

Al-Quraan said the department was working on a smart testing project and electronic monitoring of training vehicles to enhance transparency and ensure that license applicants received the required training.

The plan envisaged automated assessment accounting for about 80% of the evaluation, with human assessment making up no more than 20%, during the targeted phase for Categories 3 and 4, with the possibility of expanding the project in the future.

The project relied on technologies including artificial intelligence, cameras, sensors, and other electronic tools, and work had reached advanced stages, he said.

Representatives of driving instructors called for a review of the mechanism for registering training vehicles to preserve instructors' ownership and investment in their vehicles, address problems that could arise following the death of a center owner or the transfer of ownership, simplify conditions for establishing centers, and examine the regulation of partnerships among instructors to protect the rights of all parties.

MPs Tareq Bani Hani, Ali Al-Ghazawi, Hussein Kreishan, Hammoud Al-Zawahreh, Jihad Madanat, Hayel Ayash, Aref Al-Saaydeh, Ismail Al-Mashaqqaba, Mohammad Al-Mahamid, Tayseer Abu Arabi, Raed Raba'a Al-Dhahrrawi, Abdul Raouf Al-Rabihat, Nassar Al-Qaisi, Amal Al-Shaqran and Awni Al-Zoubi also stressed the importance of addressing the issues raised according to the mandate of each authority.

They called for simplifying procedures and reviewing instructions that created obstacles for workers without having a direct impact on achieving regulatory and safety requirements.

The MPs also called for clearly identifying the competent authorities and strengthening coordination among the institutions concerned, as well as clarifying which issues could be addressed administratively and which required amendments to instructions, regulations, or legislation.

Such measures should protect employment opportunities, existing investments, and citizens' sources of income while maintaining safety requirements and the rule of law, they said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Al-Badawneh said the discussions had resulted in preliminary understandings and solutions, as well as commitments by the relevant government authorities to follow up on the issues raised and complete the necessary procedures to address them.

The committee would follow up on what had been agreed, whether issues could be resolved administratively or required regulatory or legislative amendments, he said.

Al-Badawneh said the committee sought to remove unjustified obstacles and strike a balance between enforcing the law and meeting safety requirements on the one hand and protecting workers' rights and ensuring the sustainability of their sources of income on the other.

He praised the response of the Minister of Transport and Minister of Labour and government and regulatory bodies, commending the cooperation of the LTRC, the TRC, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Department, the Traffic Department, and other relevant authorities and agencies.

The committee would continue to follow up on commitments and understandings until they were translated into practical measures, he said.

//Petra// AF

09/09/2026 21:57:19