Operators feel present road condition, modern vehicles make regulation written in the 60’s irrelevant

KUCHING: Sarawak Lorries Transport Association (SLTA) is calling for a review of the permissible load (Berat Dengan Muatan – BDM), claiming that the existing BDM has been around since the sixties.

SLTA president Jong Foh Jit said it was time for a change as the road condition had improved over the years while the technology used in the manufacture of lorries and trucks had advanced, making them more reliable and driver-friendly.

Jong said based on these two factors, sticking to the old ruling was outdated, meaning lorries should be allowed more load nowadays.

“Our road conditions have changed over the years while our vehicles are modern, we should be allowed to carry more load. However, we are still required to follow a ruling that was based on the road conditions of the sixties. It’s time for a change,” he told reporters during the SLTA annual general meeting at a hotel here yesterday.

He said the old ruling was also not compatible with the changing times.

In fact, he said, the ruling was more an “irony” because nowadays lorries are a lot bigger and hardier yet they are not allowed to carry more load.

SLTA deputy president Phua Pui Ann cited a six-wheeler and a 10-wheeler as an example.

He said the smaller carrier is allowed a 16,000kg BDM but because its own weight is 6,000kg to 7,000kg, the load it is allowed to carry is 9,000kg to 10,000kg.

The ten-wheeler, on the other hand, has a BDM of 21,000kg but because the vehicle alone weighs around 11,000kg, its allowable load is still 9,000kg to 10,000kg.

“That’s the irony. A lorry may be bigger but that does not mean that it can necessarily carry a heavier load. In other words, there’s really no point in having a huge lorry if the present ruling is not changed,” Phua said.

He said if one were to follow the BDM strictly, one would only be utilising 30 per cent of bigger lorry.

On the other hand, he said, if the ruling is reviewed it would actually discourage lorries from “overloading”.

He said he had heard of some lorries even “overloaded” by 100 to 150 per cent.

Meanwhile, Jong said that whatever it might be, lorry owners should abide by the law and if lorries were found to have topped up dangerously, thus ruining the roads, then the enforcement people should take action.

This, according to Jong, however, presented another problem because of the different rulings stipulated by the Police and the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

Elaborating, he said: “There are times when what we do is alright with JPJ but not for the police. Our members are confused and in the end, we do not know who to follow – the JPJ or the police?”

He said the two departments should communicate, and if possible, come up with a common ruling especially with regard to traffic offences.

Phua added that JPJ allowed lorries loaded to the side board level to go about their

work without having to be weighed, whereas the police would not hesitate to issue summonses against such lorries.

“A summons for this can come up to RM4,000 to RM5,000 against both the lorry owner and the driver,” he added.

Earlier, Jong mentioned some of the concerns of SLTA, which included bigger lorries having difficulty obtaining insurance; that these lorries were being imposed high loading fee; and ‘tipper’ lorries not allowed subsidised diesel price – which to them, was unfair.