22 May, 2007 Kota Kinabalu: The Road Transport Department (RTD) will discuss with the Public Works Department (PWD) the proposal to increase the maximum load weight for lorries in Sabah, which is presently relatively lower than in Peninsular Malaysia.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said the BDM (Berat Dengan Muatan) or allowed weight for four-axled lorries and load in Sabah was only 38 metric tonnes whereas it was between 44 and 51 metric tonnes in the peninsula.
Speaking to reporters after a more than one-hour dialogue with the federation of lorry transportation associations for West Coast and Sandakan as well as Sabah taxi association at the State RTD headquarters in Jalan Bundusan, near here Monday, he said this was among the issues brought to his attention.
The transporters had appealed for the BDM of four-axled lorries in Sabah to be increased, currently regulated under 1989 Road Weight Limit Order, said Chan.
He added that he had directed the RTD to set up a meeting with the PWD since the matter was under its purview and to be also attended by the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) officials as soon as possible.
He said Sabah is currently undergoing rapid development and so there was a need to increase the BDM limit to allow transportation of heavier machines among others. For the time being, Chan said consideration would be given on a case-to-case basis for the lorry transporters to carry heavier loads.
On another note, he said his Ministry is submitting an application for funds from the treasury to purchase portable weighing machines to improve the RTD enforcement and service in Sabah.
Presently, RTD has five weighing stations in the State but Chan said it was insufficient to cater for a big state like Sabah and that this had been causing inconvenience to owners of commercial vehicle.
He hoped the machines can be purchased and commissioned for use in Sabah by end of this year. At the same time, the Ministry is considering building more weighing stations to address problems that have been hindering the RTD enforcement in the State.
Chan who is also MCA Deputy President also directed the Sabah RTD and for this matter the whole RTD in the country to improve their delivery system by taking proactive measures in line with the commitment of the government to provide the best service to the people.
"When dealing with the public, RTD officers must ensure that they comply with the Clients' Charter ... if it is stated that the time to process is 24 hours then do it within 24 hours," he said, adding he would be monitoring this personally.
Chan in thanking Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Edward Khoo for taking the initiative to organise the dialogue said he hoped to come again in six months for a similar dialogue.
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