Honour previous deals, lorry owners tell SPAD

SUBANG JAYA: Lorry owners have appealed to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to honour past “agreements” made between them, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police before the commission took over in 2010.

The understanding, which has been in practice over the past 30 years, came out of many meetings and discussions between different parties to find a consensus which was fair and would work to everyone’s benefit, said PanMalaysia Lorry Owners’ Association (PMLOA) president Jong Foh Jit.

“Under the terms of the agreement, lorries were given 5% leniency for overloading.

“This is because material such as earth, sand and stone would have different weights when wet and dry.

“Thus, it would not be fair to penalise a lorry operator who is carrying, for example, sand when it is raining as wet sand would be heavier.

“We also agreed that the department should penalise lorry owners who overload less than 30% with a compound fine of up to RM300. Those who overload beyond 30% will be brought to court,” he told a press conference yesterday.

He said that while PMLOA was against overloading as it would endanger other motorists as well as cause unfair competition and road damage, SPAD’s strict regulations were unreasonable and unfair.

SPAD has imposed a penalty of between RM1,000 and RM500,000, or jail of up to two years, for lorries which are found to be overloaded.

“Being a new kid on the block, SPAD should listen to those who have been in the industry for many years, and should not dismiss previous agreements we have had with JPJ and the police,” he said.

Jong said PMLOA had made three attempts to discuss the issues with SPAD but the meetings had been in vain.

“They just told us that we have to obey the new regulations and will not allow any leniency at all,” he said.