Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Road Transport Department (JPJ) are tightening its enforcement on overloaded vehicles starting 14 October until 31 December. Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced this special operation alongside a declaration of “all-out war” against offending heavy vehicles.
FINES INTO BUSINESS COSTS
“The overloading problem has persisted for years. It causes accidents and severe road damage. The government has spent billions repairing roads, especially near major ports, but the damage continues,” said Loke.
According to Loke, the prevalence of overloaded heavy vehicles not only risks the safety of other motorists but also damages Malaysia’s public roads. “People often complain about potholes on Malaysian roads. One major cause is overloaded lorries. […] When roads deteriorate, not only do maintenance costs go up, but the safety risk, especially to motorcyclists, increases drastically,” he added.
Loke also explained that quarry and factory owners often push their drivers and partner transport companies to overload vehicles. Majority of these companies are from companies that manufacture raw materials like stone, sand, earth, steel, palm oil, and timber. Overloading allows these companies to cut down expenses and speed up deliveries at the cost of overall safety. This has become a common business practice in Malaysia, turning fines into mere “business costs.”
The minister also announced that both MOT and JPJ “will not show compromise to any party” guilty of vehicle overloading. “Furthermore, JPJ will not negotiate with any driver, owner or transport company that is careless or disregards public safety requirements to the point of causing an accident or damaging roads,” he said.
THREE STRIKES, YOU’RE OUT
“We will be taking stricter action moving forward. I want to remind both consignors and consignees that currently, only drivers and vehicle-owning companies are penalised for offences involving their lorries, including overloading,” said Loke during a press conference held last week.
The operation will span across five divided zones in Malaysia; North, Central, South, East, and Borneo. Each zone will have 12 enforcement teams deployed in areas with high risk of accidents due to overloaded heavy vehicles, such as industrial zones and ports. Officers in these teams will wear body-cameras and be equipped with pistols in case of thugs hired to intimidate road authorities.
In this new operation, first-time offending companies will be fined but did not specify the amount. However, depending on the case, more egregious first-time offenders may be brought to court. There, they may face fines up to MYR 500,000 (AUD 183,082). Companies caught for a second time will have its offending vehicle’s permit revoked.
A third time offence will result in the offending company’s overall licence being revoked. “If a company’s licence is cancelled and it holds 500 permits, all 500 permits will be revoked. The company will no longer be allowed to operate,” Loke explained.
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