RIYADH, 16 November 2007 — The real jihadists are not those who carry out attacks on innocent civilians from other faiths, but those who endure the hardship of life, seek honest work and give up the pleasures of life to earn money for their offspring.
“We call ourselves jihadists because we’re in constant battle with ourselves against laziness and hardship to provide bread and butter for our children,” said a truck driver.
For these people, life is not on the fast lane. In fact, their lives move in a slow pace — slower than what the average person wants or expects. Patience and endurance are their battle tools. You probably have zoomed by them in your car a dozen times on one of the Kingdom’s highways. They are your common truck drivers, people who drive thousands of kilometers to bring fruit and vegetables, and all kinds of goods to our homes. They are, without doubt, our everyday heroes.
Near the vegetable market south of Riyadh, a group of men form a circle of chairs to sip tea and chat while their cargo is emptied from their trucks. They comfort each other after having crossed a long journey to get into Saudi Arabia. The laughter and smiles they share while telling jokes, teasing one another, or narrating tales is temporary, but nevertheless, gives them a sigh of relief.
Once their loads are emptied, they will pack up their gear and head off again on a long and windy road. Every one of them has a story. Every one of them has left behind a family to support.
Yousef, 48, a Lebanese truck driver, says he has been on the road for the past 20 years, transporting fruit and vegetables from Lebanon to Riyadh. He covers a distance of 2,000 km — 1,500 of which is covered inside Saudi Arabia. His journey begins in Lebanon, down to Syria, Jordan, and then to the Saudi border. At every customs stop, he stops for two days while he queues up with other trucks to be inspected. Once he is cleared from Saudi customs, it takes him another 20 hours to reach Riyadh. The one-way journey takes approximately eight days.
Once he is here in Riyadh, he has to wait to empty his truckload. That wait can extend between four and 10 days, depending on the supply and demand, the length of the queue, or the season. A two-way journey back and forth takes approximately 20 days.
Yousef’s family consists of his wife, four sons, and a mother and father. He sees all of them once a month after he returns from Riyadh. “This is our destiny. Our only way to get bread and butter for our children,” he said.
Covering 1,500 km inside Saudi Arabia driving at an average speed of 80 kmph is anything but easy. “The road is long and boring. I spend most of the time listening to radio, music, or recalling joyful memories,” he says.
The long journey also allows him to reassess his life and his past. “I contemplate everything... Good and sad. I remember my wife and family. I also recall incidents that happened to me in the past,” he said. “It is a page-turner in the past... But it is all essentially to kill time.”
Yousef is paid SR1,500 for every truckload he brings in from Lebanon. He collects his money after the truck is emptied just before he returns for another trip.
Another truck driver, Ahmed, an Egyptian national, says he has been transporting goods between the Kingdom’s cities for the past 12 years. He prefers driving during daytime to avoid low visibility on highways. He usually starts at 5 a.m. and stops for rest at 12 p.m. He waves off the midday heat by taking a nap or sitting in a rest area on the side of the road. He then continues driving from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. “After a long drive of eight hours non-stop, I usually feel numbness in my legs,” he says.
Repairing a flat or damaged tire is not a pleasant experience for truck drivers, he says. The truck tire is twice as big as a normal car tire and it takes sometimes a good one hour to get it repaired. “I usually repair it by myself. Truck drivers that pass by sometimes do not stop to help others as they never take the risk of helping strangers,” he says.
Iqbal is a Pakistani driver who has been transporting goods in the Kingdom for the past 10 years. “I usually park at special areas for trucks to rest after a long day on the road. But even these places are risky. Sometimes, I get a knock on my window from a stranger asking for money or directions when I am asleep inside,” he says.
For security purposes, Iqbal usually prefers to park next to another truck, whose driver he is acquainted with. Even though rest houses in the Kingdom are not the best, he is always careful to watch out for predators.
These truck drivers usually have a small gas cylinder, a sleeping mattress, and food items for cooking that are stowed in a special compartment. Their trucks are equipped with everything they need on the road.
For a low wage, they sacrifice a lot. They put up with all kinds of conditions and are constantly on the move. Away from their loved ones, the luxuries of city life, the road for them is either their best friend or their worst enemy. And it is all in a day’s work.
