Lorries can soon carry 20% more on federal roads

Thursday April 24, 2008
Lorries can soon carry 20% more on federal roads
By TEH ENG HOCK
KUALA LUMPUR: Lorries will be allowed to carry 20% more load on federal roads after bridges along the routes have been repaired and upgraded.
Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed said the move would keep transportation costs down and allow the industry to be more efficient.
The Pan Malaysia Lorry Owners Association (PMLOA) and the Association of Malaysian Hauliers (AMH) lauded the move, saying it would help maintain escalating operational costs.
Mohd Zin said the lorries were previously allowed to carry not more than 10 metric tonnes per axle on federal roads, but could now carry 12 metric tonnes per axle.
“The international standard is 13 metric tonnes, but we prefer to stay on the safe side,” he said.
Mohd Zin said the move would take effect after it was gazetted, which should take about two weeks. He said there would be no changes to the axle load limit on highways, which is already 12 metric tonnes per axle.
Lorries in Malaysia, depending on size, have a maximum of seven axles.
When contacted, PMLOA president Er Sui See said he was happy with the move, as he had lobbied for it for 10 years.
“It sends the message that our roads are of international standards. And our lorries are more than able to carry the extra load,” he said.
“The price of tyres and spare parts have been rising. This will keep our costs down, and since we can sustain our operations at the existing rates, we do not need to increase our fees.”
AMH president Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Shaffie also welcomed the move, saying that it would resolve the issue of lorries overloading.
He said on average, those who overload carry about 30% more than the permitted limit and many would stop doing so as the 20% limit increase would be cost-efficient for the operators.