The Malaysian government will remain firm in its stand on overloaded lorries and will not be swayed by industry pressure or cost concerns, transport minister Anthony Loke has said, reported The Star.
The transport ministry’s ongoing crackdown on overloaded lorries will continue despite complaints from several industry groups who have warned of project delays and increased transportation expenses, Loke said.
“Whenever we step up enforcement, we expect pushback from the industry. This is normal. But what matters most is the safety of road users and the protection of public infrastructure,” the transport minister said in Dewan Rakyat today in response to Bangi member of parliament Syahredzan Johan who asked about the transport ministry’s stance following concerns raised by the Master Builders Association of Malaysia (MBAM) that stricter action against overloaded vehicles could disrupt construction timelines.
The industry’s reaction had showed how some players depended on weak enforcement to reduce their operating costs, said the transport minister. “They admit they’ve been operating this way for years—overloading lorries to save money. Now that we are enforcing the law strictly, they are warning us about delays. That shows how widespread this practice has been,” he said.
Dubbed Ops Perang Kenderaan Lebih Muatan, the transport minister stated earlier this month that the JPJ is “declaring war” against overloaded vehicles nationwide in an operation that will run until December 31, 2025, conducted across five main zones – North, Central, South, East and Borneo.
Last week, JPJ senior enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said that some lorry drivers demonstrated defiance of the operation against overloaded vehicles by jettisoning their loads and turning off their engines and global positioning systems (GPS).
Loke said that overloading of lorries was not a trivial matter as it posed serious risks to road safety, and caused extensive damage to the road network. Additionally, he stressed that enforcement efforts will continue nationwide, with agencies under the transport ministry instructed to ensure all heavy vehicles comply with permitted weight limits and safety standards, according to the report.
The transport minister said that public sentiment had largely supported the crackdown, with many Malaysians demanding stronger action against heavy vehicles that pose a danger on highways and residential roads. “My conscience is clear. I want to make sure Malaysians are safe on the road. Profits can be rebuilt, but lives lost cannot be replaced,” he said.
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