Loke urges JPJ to maintain crackdown on vehicle overloading

PUTRAJAYA — Transport Minister Anthony Loke has urged the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to sustain its enforcement operations against vehicle overloading, emphasising that the initiative must continue beyond his tenure due to its critical impact on road safety.

Loke highlighted that the campaign against overloaded vehicles represents a matter of life and death, requiring unwavering commitment from enforcement agencies regardless of ministerial transitions. The minister stressed that road safety concerns transcend administrative changes and must remain a priority for the department.

The push to eliminate overloading on Malaysian roads addresses a longstanding hazard that compromises vehicle stability, increases stopping distances, and elevates accident risks. Heavy vehicles operating beyond prescribed weight limits pose dangers to other road users and contribute to premature infrastructure deterioration.

JPJ's enforcement efforts have targeted commercial vehicles, lorries, and transport operators found contravening weight regulations. The department has been equipped with portable weighing systems at various checkpoints to identify non-compliant vehicles.

Loke's remarks underscore the government's commitment to road safety improvements as a public health imperative, signalling that enforcement mechanisms should persist as a core transport policy objective regardless of ministerial changes.