Law & Regulation
Law No. 8 of 2019 Regulating Road Transport
This Law establishes the licensing and supervision framework for commercial land-transport activities involving passengers and goods by road. It regulates entry into the activity, operator and vehicle compliance, service conduct, inspections and enforcement; it is distinct from traffic rules and hazardous-material carriage.
Legal Significance
What This Instrument Does
It requires authorization for covered road-transport business activities and empowers the Ministry to regulate operators, vehicles, premises, records and services. It interacts with traffic, customs and commercial laws without becoming part of those legal families.
Why It Matters
Logistics, worker transport, construction haulage and operational supply chains may depend on licensed carriers. Project companies and contractors need to distinguish procuring a transport service from being licensed to provide it, and ordinary freight from hazardous-material transport.
Key Provisions
- Regulated activities
Passenger and goods road-transport activities within the licensing perimeter.
- Operator licensing
Eligibility, application, conditions, term and renewal for commercial activity.
- Vehicles and operating assets
Registration, suitability and approved use of vehicles/equipment.
- Premises and operational capacity
Requirements supporting lawful and accountable service provision.
- Drivers and personnel
Qualification and compliance interfaces, supplemented by traffic/labour rules.
- Service obligations
Conditions governing performance of licensed transport activities.
- Records and documentation
Operational records available for Ministry oversight.
- Transfers and corporate changes
Approval implications for licence ownership or material operator changes.
- Inspection
Ministry powers concerning operators, vehicles and compliance evidence.
- Suspension, cancellation and closure
Administrative consequences affecting continued operation.
- Violations and penalties
Enforcement against unlicensed or non-compliant activity.
- Implementing and technical layer
Detailed requirements may sit in implementing regulations and service procedures outside this batch.
When You Would Use This
Logistics procurement
Procuring logistics services.
Bus/fleet or worker-transport arrangements
Structuring bus, fleet or worker-transport arrangements.
Road-freight operator diligence
Conducting diligence on a road-freight operator.
Construction supply-chain planning
Planning a construction supply chain.
Licence CPs
Satisfying transport-licence conditions precedent.
Concession/operator diligence
Conducting concession or operator diligence.
Subcontractor onboarding
Onboarding a transport subcontractor.
Acquisition of a transport business
Acquiring a transport business.
Compliance investigations
Investigating a transport-compliance issue.
InfraLex Relevance
The Law helps users test whether a logistics counterparty is legally authorised for the actual service. It is relevant to procurement and project delivery, but it does not govern public procurement or allocate construction risk.
Legal Framework Position
- Sector RegulationPrimary / Framework Instrument
Instrument Overview
- Official Citation
- Law No. 8 of 2019
- Instrument Type
- Law / Act
- Source Language
- Arabic
- Enactment Date
- 7 April 2019
- Last Verified
- 4 September 2026