PUTRAJAYA: Lorry owners, drivers and factory bosses or consignors who overload should not only be fined but also jailed as an effective deterrent.
Road Transport Department director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said a jail sentence was provided for under Section 19 (4) of the Road Transport Act and Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board Act .
Ahmad Mustapha said that he welcomed the proposal to use the full weight of the law to punish those who overloaded their vehicles.
The call to jail everyone responsible for overloading lorries and other vehicles was made at a special meeting on Tuesday between the department and associations representing quarry and factory owners, lorry owners and operators.
Also at the meeting were representatives from the Klang Port Authority, Bukit Aman, Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“But we have to discuss the matter with the Transport Ministry, Attorney-General and other relevant bodies before pressing for a jail sentence,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Ahmad Mustapha also said that everyone present at the meeting agreed that the measure would be a good deterrent.
The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Lorry Operators Association secretary-general Alvin Choong, who was at the meeting, claimed that 80% of all lorry operators, owners and drivers and consignors were guilty of overloading.
“The problem is serious. Some lorries were overloaded by 300% and this can pose a serious safety threat to other road users,” he said.
Choong said that the problem could be resolved overnight if prosecutors pressed for a jail sentence.
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