What does the truck entry times checker do?
Many Gulf cities ban trucks from some roads or from the whole city at peak hours. A delivery that enters during a ban risks a fine, and a truck that waits at the city edge loses hours. The checker compares each planned trip with the ban windows for its road, for general or service trucks, and shows the trips that fall in a ban, the minutes inside it and the next slot long enough for the trip.
The rules come as presets with their source and the date we last checked them. Truck bans change, for example in Ramadan or on special occasions, so every window can be edited, and you should confirm the times with the traffic authority before you drive.
What are the truck entry times in Riyadh and other Saudi cities?
Truck entry times in Saudi cities differ by city and road, and the General Directorate of Traffic changes them. We found no recent published table for normal days in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam or other Saudi cities, so the checker has no Saudi preset for normal days: an old table could send a truck into a ban and a fine.
For a Saudi city, choose "My own rules" and enter your city's current times as rows: the days, the ban start and end, the road or area, and whether the ban applies to all trucks, general trucks or service trucks. Take the times from the traffic department in your city, and note where each one comes from.
The General Directorate of Traffic said in August 2026 that entering cities at disallowed times is fined SAR 1,000 to 2,000, and that the times differ by city and road (Al-Muraba, 15 August 2026). Enter the fine per violation to see the cost if a truck is stopped.
Do truck entry times change in Ramadan?
Yes. The General Directorate of Traffic announces new times before each Ramadan. The checker keeps the last announcements we found as past examples, labeled with their year. Replace them with this year's times once they are announced.
- Riyadh, Ramadan 1446 (2025): Sunday to Thursday, general trucks banned 08:00 to 01:00 and service trucks 08:00 to 11:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. Friday and Saturday, general trucks 15:00 to 02:00 and service trucks 15:00 to 22:00. Parts of King Fahd, Abu Bakr, Khurais and Al-Amariyah roads were closed to trucks all day (Saudi Press Agency and Ajel, 27 February 2025).
- Jeddah, Ramadan 1446 (2025): Sunday to Thursday 09:00 to 19:00 and 21:00 to 01:00 (03:00 on Thursday). Friday and Saturday 16:00 to 19:00 and 21:00 to 03:00 (01:00 on Saturday). Desalinated-water tankers and cleaning compactors were exempt (Saudi Press Agency, 27 February 2025).
- Dammam, Khobar and Dhahran, Ramadan 1447 (2026): Sunday to Thursday 09:00 to 11:00, 15:00 to 18:00 and 21:00 to 24:00; Friday and Saturday 15:00 to 18:00 and 21:00 to 24:00 (Al-Weeam, 18 February 2026).
For Ramadan driver shifts and the iftar window, use the Ramadan Driver Shift Planner.
What are the truck timings in Dubai?
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police announced truck movement restrictions from 1 October 2026, as reported by Gulf Today and Khaleej Times on 26 September 2026. We checked them on 21 October 2026.
| Roads and areas | Trucks banned |
|---|---|
| Al Qudra Street, Al Meydan Street, all crossings, Airport Tunnel | 24 hours |
| Sheikh Zayed Road, Beirut Street, and the residential areas Al Mizhar, Muhaisnah and Oud Al Muteena | 06:00 to 22:00 |
| Airport Street, Oman Street, Damascus Street | 06:30 to 08:30, 13:00 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 20:00 |
| Emirates Road | Exempt |
The announcement refers to trucks without a weight threshold and lists no weekend exception. In essential cases, companies can apply on the RTA website for a Mobility Permit for Heavy Vehicles in Banned Times and Roads.
How is each trip checked?
A ban window whose end is earlier than its start runs past midnight. The open hours in the weekly grid are the hours of each day outside every ban window that applies.
Worked example: four trips in Dubai
- A depot run on Sheikh Zayed Road on Monday from 05:00 to 07:00 is 60 minutes inside the 06:00 ban. The next slot is Monday 22:00, open until Tuesday 06:00.
- Airport freight on Airport Street on Monday from 09:00 to 12:00 is open. The next ban there starts at 13:00.
- An evening restock on Airport Street on Tuesday from 17:00 to 18:30 is 60 minutes inside the 17:30 to 20:00 ban. The next slot is Tuesday 20:00.
- A site supply trip on Emirates Road is open at any time.
Result: 2 of 4 trips enter during a ban. Moving the depot run to 22:00 or starting it by 04:00 clears both problems on that road.
Common mistakes with truck entry times
- Checking only the entry time. A truck that enters before a ban but is still on the road when it starts is inside the ban. Enter the leaving time too.
- Using last year's Ramadan times. Ramadan times are announced each year and often change. Replace the example with the new announcement.
- Treating every truck the same. Riyadh sets separate windows for service trucks. Choose the right truck type.
- Forgetting the return trip. Add the empty truck leaving the city as its own trip.
- Planning to the minute. Leave a margin before a ban starts for traffic and unloading delays.
Assumptions and limits
This checker is a planning aid, not legal advice or an official timetable. The presets come from the sources named with each one: the RTA and Dubai Police announcement reported on 26 September 2026, the past Ramadan announcements of 2025 and 2026, and the fine reported on 15 August 2026, all checked on 21 October 2026. There is no preset for Saudi cities on normal days; enter your city's current times as your own rules. Authorities change truck times, for example in Ramadan, on holidays and for events, and may restrict other roads or vehicle sizes that are not listed here. Confirm the times with the traffic authority before you rely on them. The checker works on a single week, treats the trip window as time on the restricted road, and does not handle permits.