Truck drivers protest on Kirkuk-Baghdad highway over "illegal fines"

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, dozens of truck drivers protested on the international road between Kirkuk and Baghdad, decrying what they termed as "illegal fines" imposed on them and appealing for intervention from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

Abbas Muaid, one of the protesting drivers, told Shafaq News Agency, "The fees at the Kirkuk weigh station are 20,000 IQD ($15) per truck, whereas in other governorates it is only 5,000 IQD. This discrepancy has driven us to demonstrate near Taza Khurmatu (25 km south of Kirkuk) on the Kirkuk-Baghdad road," explaining that "the Kirkuk weigh station has been increasingly imposing higher financial penalties on us."

He further stated, "The term 'cut' is used for the imposed fees. Initially, we accepted the 20,000 dinars, but now the weigh station is imposing fines for overloads, reaching 150,000 IQD ($114) to 200,000 IQD ($152), under the pretext that the load exceeds the permitted weight by two or three tons."

Muaid emphasized, "Our paperwork is complete, including customs clearance and all relevant fees for weights, but the Kirkuk weigh station insists on collecting the 20,000 IQD fee officially. Anyone who objects faces a fine of 200,000 IQD."

Another truck owner, Jamil Abdel Sattar, expressed, "Truck drivers are appealing to the Prime Minister to address the issue of the Kirkuk weigh station, which continues to impose a 20,000 IQD fee illegally. Our protest today is peaceful, but we will block the international road between Kirkuk and Baghdad if our demands are not heeded within a few days."

Notably, on May 10, 2024, dozens of truck drivers in Kirkuk announced a general strike starting mid-month, complaining about the poor treatment at Kirkuk checkpoints and the imposition of a 20,000 IQD fee at the weigh stations.