PETALING JAYA: The vehicles are lined up for kilometres in Shah Alam, but it is not a jam caused by an accident or road works.
It’s the queue outside the Puspakom vehicle inspection centre there.
The centres in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are facing severe congestion and players in the logistics industry are now appealing for intervention by the Transport Ministry.
The Association of Malaysian Hauliers (AMH) is especially concerned about the severe congestion at the Alam Megah centre at Shah Alam, currently the only inspection facility in Selangor serving commercial vehicles above 5,000kg.
“The situation is critical, with a three-week wait for appointments, creating major disruptions for the haulage industry,” AMH said in a statement to The Star yesterday.
“Puspakom Wangsa Maju is not a feasible alternative due to the peak-hour road ban (on selected expressways) for heavy vehicles. It is impractical for hauliers to schedule and attend inspections there.
“The Wangsa Maju centre is also set to close by June 2025, and its replacement in Rawang will only be operational by December 2026,” said the AMH statement.
With Alam Megah effectively the only practical option for heavy vehicle inspections in Selangor, the situation has snowballed into severe backlogs since the beginning of the year, say logistics players.
The Star attempted to book a commercial vehicle inspection on March 5 and was told that almost all slots in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were taken up until March 13.
The only slots available were at Puspakom Sungai Besar, near the Perak border – at least a two-hour drive from Petaling Jaya.
According to fleet owners, scheduled inspections are mandated by law, and any undue delay can lead to lorries being idle until road tax and other permits expire.
AMH said any delay in obtaining Puspakom approval for commercial vehicles, which is compulsory twice a year, will also see them losing their subsidised diesel quota until the following month.
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T. Hema, an accounts officer at Forefront Glamour Sdn Bhd, an AMH member with 13 trucks, said several of her vehicles lost diesel subsidies in January as there were no inspection slots that month.
With the road tax due to expire on Jan 28, she tried booking an inspection slot on Jan 21, but no slots were available at Alam Megah until Feb 2.
The Domestic Trade and Costs of Living Ministry, the custodian of the subsidised diesel scheme, did not provide any subsidy to her company for February because of the expired road tax.
“We were told we could take our vehicles to other states for inspections. But is that even practical?” she lamented.
AMH represents 15,000 trucks in the peninsula that collectively move 500,000 containers monthly, with its members providing critical services for ports and warehouses.
Other stakeholders like Malaysia Trucking Federation (MTF), Malaysia Tipper Lorry Operators Association (MTLOA), Malaysia Mobile Crane Owners Association, Persatuan Usahawan Logistik Semenanjung Malaysia, and the Airfreight Forwarders Association of Malaysia (Afam) all agree with AMH.
The hauliers were also unhappy with a recent rule by the Port Klang Authority that requires their trailers to be sent for Road Transport Department (JPJ) inspections, which again results in another downtime.
According to the players, while Puspakom offers a mobile inspection unit, this is also not a workable solution as the booking queue can stretch to anything from three to six months in the Klang Valley.
“There are also strict yard (venue) requirements, and minimum quantity, such as having at least one dozen vehicles, which does not favour smaller hauliers.
“AMH urges the relevant authorities to quickly address this issue.
“The haulage industry is already facing numerous challenges, and prolonged delays in vehicle inspections only add to the burden,” said the stakeholders who have already written to the Transport Ministry, Puspakom, and JPJ.
“We hope for a swift resolution and are ready to work with Puspakom and authorities to find practical solutions to this issue,” they said.
On Feb 7, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced the appointment of three new companies to provide inspection services, namely, Wawasan Bintang Sdn Bhd (operating in Port Klang, Gua Musang, and Mersing); Pakatan Petroleum Sdn Bhd (in Rawang and Temerloh); and Beriman Gold Sdn Bhd (for Kuching and Serian in Sarawak), effectively breaking Puspakom’s monopoly.
The selected companies have up to two years to set up inspection centres and obtain necessary approvals.
Meanwhile, hauliers still have to go to Puspakom – and wait in long lines.
The Star reached out to Puspakom and the Transport Ministry for a response, but no reply was received as of press time yesterday evening.
