CAIRO - Truck drivers throughout the nation have expressed their anger against the Government's decree that bans the use of draw-bar trailers, despite the grace period of another year they have been given earlier this month to comply with the ban. The drivers have also pledged that they will stage a demonstration in Al Tahrir Square, the epicenter of massive protests, if the Government cannot find a “logical” solution to their dilemma. Some of them, however, are worried about staging a strike for fear of the adverse consequences that will affect the country, as lorry drivers are regarded as the core of commercial activity in Egypt. “The resolution that prescribes extending the grace period is nothing for drivers, as they have opposed the decision [to ban draw-bar trailers] from the very beginning,” said Osama Gomaa, the owner of six lorries. “What the Government is trying to do is nothing but devastate our business, as it wants to force us to make modifications [to old trucks and trailers] at prices that hit the stratosphere,” he added. Truckers have threatened to sell their [draw-bar] trailers or stop working altogether if the law is enforced, which will inevitably take its toll on international trade with Egypt due to the lack of road cargo transport. Lorry owners and drivers think that the law is callous and will cost many drivers and stakeholders in this field their jobs and their businesses with the result that thousands will become unemployed. "The booklets containing information about converting trucks and trailers [into the designated fixed elongated trailers], which are being distributed among drivers by both the ministries of finance and industry, are nothing but bonus money for senior officials in the state," said Awwad Saleh, a truck owner, in an interview with the semi-official daily newspaper Al-Akhbar. "Drivers live on day to day earnings, and they hardly afford the expenses of life in such tough conditions. We are ready to do anything to defend our jobs," he added. Some owners insist that if such a decree is implemented, they will lose millions, as the price of a truck ranges between LE100,000 and 150,000. If it were to be converted into an elongated trailer, its value would be estimated at LE50,000 maximum. Like other truck owners and drivers, Osama el-Sayyed pointed out they would go to Al Tahrir Square right away if the decree is enforced. "We have spent everything we own to buy [draw-bar] trailers. The monthly installment is high, however, at LE5,000, but we had no other choice," he said. "I don't know what the Government wants from us; they have neither provided us with job opportunities nor have they left us to work in our way," he declared.
