KUALA LUMPUR – A haulage association has called on the new transport minister to strictly enforce road rules to curb overloading issues, ensuring better road safety.
The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Lorry Operators’ Association (SKLLOA) said Anthony Loke must have the political will to revamp the transport industry holistically and by eradicating corruption.
To survive in this industry, you have to resort to overloading trucks to stay competitive and this is something which needs urgent attention,” SKLLOA’s secretary-general Alvin Choong told The Vibes.
Stating that overloaded trucks have long been the bane of the industry, he said most road accidents involving overloaded trucks have been fatal and brake failures are common.
“Not only has this (overloading) endangered the driver’s life but also other road users.”
“It is not a secret that truck operators have been contributing to the country’s economy by overloading their trucks in the last 65 years because the gazetted (transport) rate of RM0.16 per tonne per km has not been revised for quite a while,” he explained.
Based on Road Transport Department records, the number of registered goods vehicles last year stood at 1.36 million.
Choong also called on the National Road Safety Council and enforcement agencies to be more active and efficient in minimising road crashes involving heavy vehicles.
Mandatory jail sentences for overloading, which are provided (under the law), are a very good deterrent to curb overloading and to safeguard the lives of road users.”
Last year, police data showed that crashes involving lorry trailers, rigid lorries, and other vehicles recorded 1,189 deaths, 371 injuries, and 606 minor injuries.
In addition, lorry drivers and passengers accounted for 140 deaths and 257 serious injury cases.
Transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan has called for a thorough review of the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre’s (Puspakom) role and its effectiveness in reducing road crashes involving commercial vehicles.
“What has Puspakom been contributing to preventing road crashes and death? Where’s the evidence and data?” he asked, claiming that Puspakom should be taken out of the transport ecosystem since it is no longer relevant and ineffective.
According to police data, a total of 39,351 crashes involving lorries were recorded last year, which is a huge increase from 7,027 cases in 2020.
He also opined that the high accident rate was often related to poor specifications for expressway and road designs.
“The low specs in terms of road width and emergency lanes cannot sustain the high volume of traffic and have contributed to high accident rates and deaths,” he said.
Rosli, who has 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, also suggested that highway regulators and concessionaires revamp the entire road network and expressways.
“Please upgrade them according to the correct international specifications with proper safety features and speed warning devices,” he added. – The Vibes, December 11, 2022
