JOHOR BAHRU: ‘No enforcement operation is being carried out on the weekends’ is one of several excuses given by the lorry drivers and operators when they were detained recently for carrying overloaded cargo.
Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said that the greedy attitude of lorry drivers and operators in chasing extra trips also contributed to their willingness to take the risk of overloading, thus endangering the lives of other road users.
He said that the excuses were given to the police during the ongoing operations dubbed ‘Ops Perdagangan’, conducted by the Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department of the Johor contingent police headquarters, in collaboration with the Road Transport Department (RTD), from June until yesterday.
A total of 206 operations were carried out throughout Johor involving the inspection of 261 commercial lorries.
“Of the total, 239 were detained for carrying cargo more than the permitted limit. A total of 91 per cent of them caught ferrying up to 40 per cent more than the permitted limit,” he told reporters after inspecting the operation at the RTD weigh station in Ulu Tiram here, today.
He added that it was also found that most of the overloaded lorries were detected at quarry and oil palm areas, carrying oil palm, gravel and sand.
Their actions show that they are being irresponsible and endangering the lives of other road users.
He said that the operations were aimed at getting lorry drivers and operators to comply with the existing rules and laws.
During the period, a total of 3,512 summonses were issued involving various offences, while 118 commercial lorries were seized, he added.
Apart from overloading, among other offences detected included using retreaded tyres and bald tyres apart from failure to carry out regular maintenance at Puspakom. -Bernama
