Taxi, lorry and delivery drivers could face new limits on the number of hours they spend behind the wheel under UAE traffic regulations due to take effect on January 1.
The rules, which could have significant implications for people who drive for a living, prohibit motorists from driving for more than nine hours in any 24-hour period.
The restriction, introduced under Cabinet Decision No 174 of 2026, does not specify whether it would apply to all motorists and questions remain over how it will be enforced. The National has sought clarification from the authorities on how the limit will operate in practice and whether it will apply equally to private and professional drivers.
The regulations also prohibit motorists from driving when fatigue or exhaustion affects their ability to do so safely. They give the Federal Traffic Council the authority to amend the nine-hour limit.
Road safety expert Mustafa Aldah said the measures could mark an important step towards tighter regulation of professional drivers, particularly those operating heavy goods vehicles and buses.
“I feel that this is the first step towards better regulation of this sector of the economy,” he told The National.
He said the development of rail freight services could reduce the UAE’s dependence on road transport, while tighter controls on driving hours could help prevent fatal lorry and bus crashes.
“We have a big section of drivers on the road that drive for a living. I hope this is the start of differentiating between driving for work and driving for personal reasons,” he said.
“That needs to be a chain of responsibility: it starts with a driver and ends with the owner or director of the company.”
Mr Aldah said employers should also be held accountable when drivers are required to work in unsafe conditions or operate vehicles that are not roadworthy.
“Only when executives and owners become personally responsible will things change,” he said.
He pointed to countries including the UK and Australia, where strict limits on driving hours and mandatory rest periods already apply to many heavy vehicle drivers.
“Drivers are monitored by tachographs installed inside trucks. Tampering with them can have serious consequences,” he said. “They can also be checked by police at any time when pulling a truck over. This, combined with comprehensive speed limiters on all heavy vehicles mean the nature and number of heavy vehicle crashes remains small and manageable.”
The National has requested clarification on whether the UAE driving time limit applies in the same way to individual motorists as taxi, bus and lorry drivers, as well as delivery riders.
Care in the conditions
The regulations also prohibit driving under the influence of drugs, psychotropic substances, alcohol or similar intoxicants, and reinforce the need to adjust speed according to road and weather conditions.
Motorists must comply with posted speed limits, with exceptions for emergency vehicles responding to urgent calls and drivers transporting an injured person or someone in a critical medical condition. Those exceptions are subject to safety conditions.
“Drivers must not endanger others and must use the necessary warning lights and signals,” said the law.
Motorists must take account of traffic, visibility and the condition and load of their vehicles when monitoring their speed.
The regulation also introduces driving licence validity periods based on age and nationality.
Once temporary licence holders reach 21, or when those who received their first licence at 21 or older renew it, those issued to UAE and GCC nationals will be valid for 10 years, while those issued to expatriate residents will be valid for five years.
The new law sets out eyesight standards for different categories of drivers. Stricter requirements apply to drivers of light and heavy buses and operators of light and heavy machinery. Licensing authorities may also accept eyesight examination reports issued outside the UAE to allow drivers with expired licences to renew them.
