PUTRAJAYA: The Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) will sponsor 1,000 lorry drivers to obtain a Class E licence and goods driver licence (GDL).
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the initiative was a collaboration between the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Human Resources to enable more people to be trained as lorry drivers and get a higher salary return.
“Those who qualify will be trained and undergo a test where the cost of RM2,000 to RM3,000 will be fully sponsored by HRD Corp.
“The government is committed to training new haulage drivers, and this is something we are doing in the hope that young people will be interested,“ he said after chairing the National Logistics Task Force (NLTF) meeting here today.
On May 9, Loke said there were plans to work with HRD Corp to address the problem of the lack of professional drivers in the transport industry because it could have a significant impact on the industry.
The E licence involves heavy motor vehicles with an unladen weight exceeding 7,500 kilogrammes, while the GDL licence is for driving any commercially registered vehicle used to transport goods, such as lorries, vans, and other vehicles.
Loke said that MOT will soon implement a new initiative to allow electric prime mover vehicles on the road.
According to him, MOT has received applications from several companies wanting to establish cooperation through the initiative.
“They want to run this EV prime mover (initiative), and MOT will allow it. We will launch it soon so that these logistics companies can adapt to this EV prime mover,“ he said.
At the NLTF meeting, he also said the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation presented the prospect of transitioning to renewable energy that can positively impact the logistics industry.
“We also welcome these logistics industry companies such as warehouses to install solar panels so they can also use renewable energy,“ he added.
