Govt Plans Legal Amendments To Curb Overloaded Lorries - Loke

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The government is drafting legal amendments to allow enforcement not only against drivers and transport companies, but also consignors and consignees involved in overloading lorries.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the move aims to ensure the entire logistics ecosystem is held accountable and complies with legal load limits.

“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.

“But we are now working on amendments to ensure that both senders and receivers of goods are also held responsible. The entire ecosystem must comply to ensure road safety,” he told a press conference here today.

He said that overloaded lorries are not only a road safety risk but also a significant burden on public infrastructure, accelerating road damage and increasing maintenance costs.

“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 said.

Loke noted that lorry drivers and transport companies are often pressured by quarry or factory owners to carry excess loads in order to cut operational costs and remain competitive.

Hence, he said the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be enforcing stricter measures, including meetings with quarry and sand operators to issue final warnings before stepping up enforcement.

At the same time, he said the government is also promoting a “road-to-rail” policy to shift the transport of heavy and high-risk cargo from roads to railways, in an effort to reduce accidents and protect road infrastructure.

“We want heavy cargo to be moved by rail, not roads. This aligns with our road-to-rail policy,” Loke added.

-- BERNAMA