WE are days away from a new year — and yet express buses, tour coaches, and trailers are still being driven on Malaysian roads by people who have no valid driving licence.
There are even drivers operating commercial vehicles without the required Vocational Driving Licence (LMV) — hauling container trucks on highways without a second thought about the lives of everyone else sharing that road. Do people like this ever stop to consider other road users?
These deeply troubling stories only come to light after enforcement agencies carry out operations or after a horrific accident has already happened. Here are three recent cases worth examining:
CASE ONE
JPJ Penang operation — 25 December 2024
- An express bus driver found to be operating without a valid driving licence
- An underage container truck driver — just 20 years old — with no vocational licence
- The trailer and bus were impounded
- 25 tour and express buses issued summonses for not having a second driver for journeys exceeding 300km or more than four consecutive hours of driving
- 23 buses had no logbook or failed to keep their logbook updated
- 1 case of operating without a tour driver
- Total summonses issued: 273 across various offences and technical violations
CASE TWO
JPJ Melaka operation at Lipat Kajang Toll Plaza — 25 December 2024
- A bus driver caught operating without a valid driving licence
- The tour bus was impounded and summonses issued
CASE THREE
JPJ Selangor operation at Puchong Barat Toll Plaza — 24 December 2024
- A courier truck driver caught driving without a valid licence and with an expired road tax
- JPJ impounded two lorries and 23 motorcycles during the operation
AN AVERAGE OF THREE LORRY ACCIDENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY
We have previously published articles on commercial vehicle accident statistics — in June and November last year.
There was also the damning report of nearly 20,000 lorries involved in accidents within just the first six months of 2022 — alarming enough that JPJ and MACC announced plans to crack down on PUSPAKOM. What came of that joint effort, I honestly cannot say with certainty.
By December of that same year, PUSPAKOM had held an integrity oath ceremony with MACC and called on all parties to play their part in breaking the chain of corruption. That, at least, was a positive development.
More recently, former Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong commented via Facebook on the latest tragic incident along the PLUS Highway that claimed seven lives. Among his remarks:
A total of 825 fatal accidents involving lorries were recorded in the first 10 months of this year, with an average of three lorry accidents every single day — as disclosed by the Director of the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri. This is deeply alarming.
IS JPJ ACTUALLY DOING ITS JOB?
Whenever a bloody, multi-fatality accident occurs, the relevant agencies and ministers will naturally issue official statements — that is almost guaranteed.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke shared a statement on Facebook directing JPJ to conduct a thorough follow-up investigation. JPJ Malaysia also issued a statement via their social media channels, designating 2025 as a Year of Uncompromising Enforcement.
The reality is that JPJ has been stepping up enforcement on commercial vehicles and passenger buses since the bloody incident at KM204 of the PLUS Highway Northbound near Ayer Keroh.
That is not to say they only act when something terrible happens. JPJ has in fact been running enforcement operations consistently and regularly — it is just that not everything makes it into the public spotlight.
Following the 23 December incident, netizens went after JPJ — including some who accused the agency of being more interested in making money through number plate sales and summonses than actual road safety.
As one contact of mine put it — JPJ operates across an enormously wide scope of responsibilities covering many different areas. They are not a dedicated 24-hour commercial vehicle watchdog and nothing else.
Some people may find that hard to accept. But there is logic to it. Nobody wants these things to keep happening — least of all when lives are on the line.
A WORD TO TRANSPORT OPERATORS AND DRIVERS
Those who run commercial transport companies should be prioritising early risk prevention — not cutting corners to maximise profit margins.
A culture of negligence driven purely by cost-saving has no place in this industry. Stop the practice of renting tyres and equipment from workshops just to pass PUSPAKOM inspections and then swapping them back afterwards.
Do not let greed taint what should be honest work — not at the cost of other people’s safety and the tears of families who lose someone. To drivers — if you know something wrong is happening on your employer’s end, report it quietly to the relevant authorities.
Take care of yourselves. Meet every requirement set by the authorities. And do not be complicit — because if something goes wrong, you and your family will be dragged into it too. Whether in this courtroom or the one that matters far more.
Not every commercial vehicle driver is irresponsible. Many are genuinely good people doing an honest job. Let us not paint everyone with the same brush.
Al-Fatihah to all the victims.
