How To Acquire a Heavy Vehicle Driving License in Saudi Arabia

If you’re looking for a job driving a truck in Saudi Arabia, you first need to get a heavy vehicle driving license. It should be straightforward, especially if you’re a foreigner with prior experience.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves — we will walk you through the process step by step.

Prerequisite Requirements

To get a heavy vehicle driver’s license in KSA, you must be at least 21 years old. All Saudi applicants must provide a copy of their Civil Affairs ID.

However, if you’re a foreigner, you could use your passport. Other required documents include a residential permit (Iqama) and passport-sized photos.

Don’t forget: you will also need to show proof that your work involves driving a heavy vehicle. If you have a heavy driver’s license from a recognized country, you need to provide your original driver’s license from your home country and its certified translation.

The heavy vehicle driving license is valid for 2 to 10 years, depending on how much you pay during registration. To make it valid for 10 years before you need a replacement, you can pay up to SR 400, although prices are subject to change.

Pass the Medical Examination

Before your application is processed, you must visit a clinic for a medical check-up. The clinic will do an eye check-up and run some blood tests to ensure that you’re physically fit to drive on the road.

After the medical report clears you, they will fill in and stamp the driving form. Then take the form back to the driving school and pay the driving school fee.

We also recommend arriving at the driving school on time. The school gets busy, and arriving late can mean long queues.

Enroll in a Dallah Driving School

If you’re a first-time driver, you need to take driving classes. However, if you have a heavy vehicle license from a recognized country (including the UK, Canada, the USA, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, and Kuwait), you can skip this step if they give you a test date.

You can complete heavy vehicle driving classes within a month, and you may spend up to SR 500, depending on the driving school. The course includes defensive driving, maneuvers, safe operating practices, advanced procedures, general knowledge, vehicle systems and malfunctions, and rules of the road.

Of course, you will start with theory classes before moving on to practical classes. The driving school will dispatch an instructor to guide you during the practical classes until you’re ready.

However, keep in mind that you do not have to take the driving test immediately after the course. If you’re not ready, you can pay for extra classes to cover everything that you will be evaluated on during the driving test.

Pass the Practical Test

After you complete your driving school training, you can take the practical test.

Before you start, you could be asked to complete a pre-inspection test of your truck. This usually involves checking the truck’s basic components.

Next, you will be required to drive the vehicle in a circle or an 8-track and complete a parallel parking maneuver. The examiner will also be keen on whether you do proper mirror checks and shoulder checks.

The examiner will be a traffic officer trained to notice even the slightest mistakes. This means that if you forget to put on your seatbelt, do proper head checks, or make any minor mistakes, you could fail the driving test. But if you’ve completed the driving school course, you will be trained on everything to expect.

Pass the Computer Test

In Saudi Arabia, you take the computer test after the practical test. Everything asked during the computer test is covered in the heavy vehicle license driver’s handbook — 40% of the questions relate to road signs, and 60% cover basic knowledge.

When answering the questions, the computer will show you random road signs, and you have to pick the right answers before the time expires. However, you can choose from 4 multiple choices.

Once you’re done with the computer test, you will be given a specific date to receive your results— usually one week after the written test.

If you fail, you can request a retake, but you have to repay the exam fees.

If you pass, you will receive an approval document to collect your heavy vehicle driving license after three days.  

Test yourself with the Saudi driving practice test study questions until you can explain the concepts clearly without looking at the notes.