A year ago, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, countries around the world experienced a surge in the demand for home delivery services. As The National reported at the time, the boom resulted in a corresponding rise in motorcycle accidents.
In a world where economic growth relies on getting cargo from A to B as quickly possible, road-based delivery services have become critical infrastructure, and it is no wonder that the sector is growing. But without a rethink of how these services are performed, road-based transportation will continue to carry significant risk – to those employed in the sector, as well as wider society.
Part of the answer will lie in frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles. This week, as the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex), got under way in Dubai, visitors to the conference were treated to a preview of autonomous delivery robots that may soon appear on the city’s streets. They use an array of AI-based sensors to navigate urban environments, follow traffic rules and calculate safe distances from surrounding traffic.
The robots were some of this year’s entries for the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, a competition held by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority, and were manufactured all over the world. The companies developing them boasted that they would not only boost road safety, but also cut emissions (inefficient driving contributes to pollution) and reduce costs. As the Gulf region looks to develop policies that counter climate change and rising inflation in consumables – particularly food – all of this would spell good news. It is also in line with the desires of the UAE to further advance its economy by taking advantage of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which automation is foundational.
Road-based delivery services have become critical infrastructure
While the delivery robots showcased at Gitex are better suited to the smaller streets of inner-city Dubai, other technologies to transform the long-haul logistics sector have developed rapidly, too. In the GCC, where upwards of 1 million lorries transport most of the region’s overland cargo, self-driving heavy-goods vehicles could one day prove to be a game-changer.
Marketing such vehicles to GCC-based companies may appear to be a challenge, given that relatively cheap petrol in the region continues to make long-haul trucking much more affordable for logistics companies than in other markets. But according to PWC, a global consultancy, driverless lorries could save GCC firms between 15 and 20 per cent of their overall costs, when considering all factors, including the risk of injury to drivers and costly pay-outs in the event of accidents.
While the majority of traffic accidents in the region involve passenger vehicles, it is estimated that between 5 and 10 per cent involve lorries, and that accidents involving these are far more injurious or deadly. And as with any vehicle, the overwhelming majority of lorry accidents involve human error – a problem that autonomous vehicles will eventually solve.
The shift to autonomous vehicles will be an uphill battle for some time; driving is a difficult habit to kick for many, and individual consumers have to be convinced, one by one. But it will inevitably be critical not only for public safety, but for sustainability and long-term economic health. The logistics space, where mass-adoption lies in the hands of a few major players, will play an important role in speeding up the transition. And the GCC, where the benefits are obvious and governments are already demonstrating the long-term vision required for sweeping change, is a good place for this technology to find a home.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
