<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf-news/saudi-arabia/" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia</a> will bar lorries more than 20 years old from operating in the kingdom. Companies running the vehicles made in or before 2001 will have three years to comply with the new rules. They will have to replace at least 10 older lorries with newer ones or a minimum of two lorries annually, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday. The regulations are aimed at improving road safety levels, the Public Transport Authority said. In April, the authority announced that from May 5, lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes and manufactured more than five years ago, would be banned from entering the kingdom. These includes locomotives, trailers and semi-trailers, per a Cabinet decision, the authority said. The rules will increase “efficiency and competitiveness” in the field of goods transport and contribute to sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions and pollution, as well as lowering "the rate of fuel consumption and operating and maintenance costs,” the authority said. Only lorry owners or their authorised representatives are permitted to drive the vehicle. The representative has to be a Saudi citizen with a licence to operate the vehicle, the authority said. Also in April, the Transport General Authority signed an initial agreement with the Red Sea Development Company to enhance areas of co-operation, attract investments and improve mobility practices.