PUTRAJAYA: In its toughest enforcement operation against overloaded lorries yet, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is set to begin a nationwide crackdown on Tuesday (Oct 13) – with its officers armed in anticipation of any intimidation by hired thugs.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the special operation, which runs until Dec 31, will see an "all-out war" declared on overloaded heavy vehicles in five zones: the north, south, east and west of the peninsula, and the Bornean states.
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He said each state will deploy four RTD enforcement teams at hotspots plied by overloaded lorries.
Loke said the officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras and pistols as a deterrent against tontos or thugs who are known to obstruct or threaten JPJ personnel during such operations.
"Each zone will have 12 active teams carrying out non-stop operations against these lorries.
"This has been going on for far too long and has severely damaged roads while endangering other motorists.
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"It has to stop here. Repeat offenders will lose their operating permits for good. We will no longer compromise," he told a press conference at ministry headquarters after an event here on Tuesday.
The all-out enforcement against overloaded lorries was launched after a recent finding that almost 55% of 500 "high-risk" lorry operators repeatedly flouted traffic laws, especially exceeding weight limits.
