Single checkpoint machine slows cargo flow to Singapore
JOHOR BARU: It looks like a mammoth lorry yard. A queue of lorries stretches for 6km and it takes six hours to get to the head of the line before the trucks in Johor can pass the Sultan Abu Bakar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (KSAB).
More than 3,000 lorries have been caught in these massive jams each day, following the implementation of mandatory scanning for all heavy vehicles.
The problem? KSAB only has one scanner for lorries headed to Singapore. The island republic, on the other hand, has six scanners for lorries entering the country.
It also does not scan lorries leaving the country, while Malaysia has two scanners to check arriving lorries.
The congestion has worsened in recent days with the last-minute rush to send goods to Singapore before the Chinese New Year festive period.
Lorries will be prohibited from using the roads on Saturday and Sunday and again on Feb 21 and Feb 22.
At least 3,000 to 3,300 lorries of various sizes use the KSAB daily.
Johor Transport and Logistics Operators Association president Frankie Chia Jee Onn said the situation at KSAB was very bad and needed urgent government intervention to resolve it.
“The long queues to scan the lorries are affecting the livelihood of the drivers.
“It takes a lot of time to scan so many trucks with just one scanner,” he said, urging a dialogue between the government agencies and lorry drivers to help resolve the issue.
He added that the delay in sending goods to Singapore would also affect the economy, as the logistics suppliers would be unable to meet their customers’ requests for prompt delivery of goods.
A transport operator, who wished to be identified only as Tan, said that previously, the scanners for the export zone operated during specific hours and were switched off during traffic jams to alleviate congestion.
“Since last week, the authorities have been using the single scanner continuously, causing hardship for drivers and resulting in long queues.
“These are heavy vehicles, and the lorry lanes at KSAB are also full of potholes, causing the vehicles to move slowly,” he said, adding that the long traffic snarls were also disrupting other road users, especially motorcyclists and car drivers during rush hour.
He claimed that there had been several accidents due to the long queues.
A five-tonne lorry driver, who gave his name only as Andy, said he spent nearly six hours in the queue on Monday.
“Previously, I could make at least two trips between Johor Baru and Singapore, sending electronic goods.
“Now, because of these jams, I can only do one in a day,” he said, adding that because of the bad jams, he had to be up as early as 2am to start his journey.
“In the past, when the officers saw a major jam, they would try to expedite the traffic flow. Now, they want to scan each lorry,” he said, urging the government to add more scanners and repair the roads at KSAB’s export zone.
A Home Ministry official said that since the end of last year, officers from the Malaysian Border Control and Protection had been operating the scanner.
He added that KSAB could process about 3,000 to 3,300 lorries daily, compared with around 1,500 at the Johor Baru checkpoint.
The official said that the 24-hour scanning was being done to check smuggling activities after Singapore caught several cases of smuggled goods, especially cigarettes, coming from Malaysia.
