PUTRAJAYA – The government’s decision to extend the validity of approved operator’s licences for public service vehicles and commercial vehicles to between three and five years will make the transportation industry more efficient, said the Association of Malaysian Hauliers (AMH).
Its president Soo Chee Yeong said AMH has requested the renewal of commercial vehicle licence process to be simplified and transparent for many years – an effort that has finally come to fruition after many meetings with the Transport Ministry (MoT) and Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).
“The decision will ease our container haulage operations as we have one prime mover attached to five to seven trailers.
“Some of my members have a few hundred trucks with a few thousand trailers nationwide. If they only get to renew their licences for one year, every single item has to be attached with the licences and road tax copies. By the time they have done the paperwork, they have to think of the next renewal. The one-year licence renewal was very impractical,” he told Bernama here today.
On May 7, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong announced that MoT through Apad had decided to extend the validity of approved operators’ licences for public service vehicles and commercial vehicles to at least three years up to five years from previously between one and two years depending on the fulfilled criteria. The review was due to the difficulties the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the transport industry.
Soo said that with the approval of MoT to extend it a minimum of three years, it definitely helps reduce the workload of industry players and make not only the haulage sector more efficient, but the transportation industry as well.
He said with the new transparent conditions required, namely, compliance with safety standards, finances, licensing and a particular company or the Companies Commission of Malaysia, industry players will now know which areas they need to improve on if they fail the renew their licences.
Syarikat Logistik Petikemas Sdn Bhd managing director Abdullah Mahmud said the initiative is a positive move that will alleviate the difficulties faced by genuine players in the industry in getting permits renewed, reduce management costs, and safeguard the health of its officers by requiring fewer face-to-face dealings with Apad officials.
“Kudos to MoT for showing an understanding of the industry’s plight. We hope MoT will agree to engage with our association to come out with more initiatives to improve the industry without compromising on policies, especially safety ones,” he said.
Operators of public service vehicles and commercial vehicles are eligible for the five-year licence provided they fulfil certain conditions, among which are safety standards, attending the iCop safety training, registering each vehicle with Apad, equipping each vehicle with GPS tracking, and possess no active summonses from the police or Road Transport Department.
Besides that, each company must submit its latest annual audited report, achieving more than 80% of its yearly revenue forecast – a criterion that is applicable only to goods vehicles in addition to each vehicle carrying an active permit. – Bernama, May 12, 2021
