Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Transport (MOT), through the Road Transport Department (JPJ), has initiated an enforcement operation called the 'War on Overloaded Commercial Vehicles'. This operation, announced today, will continue until December 31.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister Anthony Loke emphasized that this operation represents a decisive enforcement strategy to address non-compliance among commercial vehicle operators and drivers who exceed load limits and violate road transport laws. The operation will be conducted across five key zones: North, Central, South, East, and Borneo.
Loke outlined that each state will deploy four enforcement teams, totaling 12 active teams per zone, with operations occurring over a seven-day period. The focus will be on hotspot areas where overloaded vehicles transporting materials such as stones, sand, soil, silica, coal, iron, palm oil, and logs are prevalent, particularly near quarries, ports, and industrial zones.
Loke made it clear that MOT and JPJ will maintain a strict stance against any party exceeding load limits set under their licensing conditions. He stated that JPJ would not tolerate any negligence by drivers, owners, or transport companies that compromises public safety, and leads to road damage or accidents.
In a move to enhance enforcement, Loke announced that JPJ and the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) have been tasked to develop a new administrative framework. Under this framework, repeat offenders could face not only JPJ summonses but also suspension or revocation of vehicle permits or operator licences by APAD.
Loke explained that this stringent measure is intended to eliminate the mindset of treating fines as operational costs, ensuring that companies are held accountable for safety and legal compliance. This decision follows results from an inspection safety audit (JISA) conducted between June 23 and July 31, which found that 54.43 percent of 500 high-risk operators did not comply with regulations.
Loke expressed concern over the serious and systemic non-compliance, highlighting the necessity to strengthen enforcement mechanisms comprehensively. He noted the urgency of addressing the issue, citing numerous accidents involving heavy vehicles attributed to overloading and speeding.