KOTA BARU: A total of 481,119 summonses were issued against foreign drivers through a special operation from 2024 to September this year.
Road Transport Department (JPJ) senior enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said the main offences detected in the operation, codenamed “Ops Pewa”, were not possessing a Competent Driving Licence, having an expired Motor Vehicle Licence and no insurance coverage.
Out of that total, 183,300 summonses were issued in 2024, followed by 191,676 in 2025 and 106,143 for the period from January to September this year, he said.
“The issue of foreign drivers not only involves enforcement aspects but also includes local employers who hire them without ensuring their qualifications and valid documents, in order to reduce operational costs.
“Employers like that can be considered as colluding or betraying the country. As long as there are parties that collude, this problem will continue.
“The people need to be aware and responsible for not hiring foreign workers who are not qualified,” he said, Bernama reported.
Muhammad Kifli said the department has taken a stricter approach in the past three months by taking action against drivers and owners of commercial vehicles, including bringing cases to court without offering a settlement through compound payments for certain cases.
He also said foreigners are not allowed to apply for vocational licences such as the Goods Vehicle Licence and Public Service Vehicle Licence, so employers need to ensure that lorry or bus drivers meet all the stipulated requirements.
“Employers need to reject the practice of hiring foreign drivers who do not meet the specified qualifications.
“We will take strict action, including seizing and forfeiting commercial vehicles used in such offences under the Land Public Transport Act 2010,” he said.
He added that since 2024, the JPJ has seized three buses and 147 lorries, while for private vehicles, 3,611 motorcycles have been acted upon, with 2,052 of them being seized.
A total of 1,301 cars were also taken action against, including 456 that were seized.
Commenting on the involvement of Myanmar refugees, Muhammad Kifli said his team found that some of them rented motorcycles from locals at rates ranging from RM50 to RM200 per month, depending on the condition of the vehicle, before modifying the motorcycles into tricycles to collect used goods and recyclable materials.
