PETALING JAYA: The logistics industry is up in arms over the government's impending move to further restrict the movement of lorries on expressways in the Klang Valley.
This follows the Malaysian Highway Authority's (LLM) Facebook post of new restrictions to be enforced on four expressways effective Feb 19.
The highways involved are the North-South Expressway (NSE), North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Ekspresway Lingkaran Tengah (Elite; at the stretch between Shah Alam and Saujana Putra) and Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (Duke).
Aimed at easing traffic flow, heavy vehicles (Class 2 and 3 tolls) will be barred in all directions across the four expressways (except public holidays) at peak hours between 6.30am and 9.30am and 4.30pm to 7.30pm from Monday to Friday.
Heavy vehicles exempted from the ban are buses, refuse trucks and those associated with public cleansing, emergency services and highway maintenance.
According to the LLM post on Tuesday, the new rules were gazetted on Oct 21 last year.
The Association of Malaysia Hauliers (AMH) slammed the move, saying the authorities failed to engage it and other stakeholders on the restrictions.
It said some 1,000 lorries belonging to its members would be affected.
"If the trucks of non-members are included, it will be several thousand more," said its executive secretary Mohamad Azuan Masud.
He said current movement restrictions already resulted in longer working hours for drivers, resulting in lower productivity due to prolonged waiting times.
"For example, if a haulier needs to deliver an empty container from Port Klang to a factory in Bentong in the morning, the driver must leave before the road ban starts, but will arrive too early while the factory is still closed, leading to longer waiting time.
"If the driver waits until the restriction period ends, the delivery will be delayed. This will lead to supply chain inefficiencies, making the industry less productive," he told The Star.
Expressing AMH's dismay, Azuan said the move was concerning as container haulage was a matter of national interest, with disruptions to supply chains impacting the national economy.
He said during the movement control order period, hauliers were required to move containers which were vital to the import-export ecosystem.
"Most haulage trips involve port terminals, not city centres, but our routes often go through paths leading to city centres. Despite heavy vehicles being major highway users and key contributors to the national economy, we were not consulted by highway concessionaires and LLM," said Azuan.
Netizens also joined in the fray, with one Firdaus Abd Latiff responding with a mocking post that perhaps laws can be drawn up to totally ban lorries on weekdays.
"Easier to just allow heavy vehicle movements just on weekends, right? Movement restrictions starting 4.30pm? Do you think lorries work office hours only? Congrats to whoever drew up this regulation," he wrote.
"We are already paying Class 2 and 3 toll rates (which are significantly higher than private cars that pay Class 1 rates), and we still don't get appreciated," he added.
A LLM official, approached at an event in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, said it would discuss the matter with hauliers soon before the police and Road Transport Department enforced the restrictions.
When contacted, PLUS Malaysia Bhd, the concessionaire for NSE, NKVE, and Elite, said it would respond today.
PLUS Malaysia Bhd, the concessionaire for NSE, NKVE, and Elite, was contacted for comments but has yet to respond.
