KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Transport (MOT) will not hesitate to take action, including against major corporations, in cases of non-compliance that compromise road safety.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke cited a recent case where a public-listed company with over 1,000 vehicles had its operator’s licence suspended due to road safety violations.
“When a company’s operator’s licence is suspended or revoked, all vehicles registered under it are prohibited from operating.
“As reported in the media, the company was required to announce the suspension by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to Bursa Malaysia due to its serious impact on operations,” he said during a parliamentary question and answer session today.
He was responding to Datuk Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli (BN-Jempol), who asked about MOT’s strict measures to reduce fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles, particularly lorries, following 1,457 lorry-related deaths recorded nationwide from January 2019 to November 2024.
Loke said the highest number of operator’s licence and vehicle permit suspensions were recorded last year, mostly due to Industry Code of Practice for Transport Safety (ICOP) non-compliance, accidents, or other safety violations.
In 2024, a total of 247 operator’s licences were suspended, a sharp increase from 101 in 2023 and 94 in 2022, compared to just eight suspensions between 2019 and 2021.
“MOT, through APAD, also suspended 23 vehicle permits in 2024 for road safety violations, with suspensions lasting up to 90 days for serious violations,” he said.
Additionally, APAD revoked seven operator’s licences between 2022 and 2024, whereas no revocations were recorded between 2019 and 2021.
“MOT will continue to take firm action while enhancing other road safety initiatives, including stricter enforcement against overloaded heavy vehicles, tightening periodic inspection procedures, and strengthening ICOP compliance among industry players,” he added.
