According to a report by The Star, over 600 commercial vehicles have failed tyre inspections at Puspakom since the road transport department (JPJ) introduced stricter inspection requirements beginning this month.
“Between June 1 and 10, 658 out of 49,570 commercial vehicles, or 1.3%, failed the tyre inspection, while 43 commercial vehicles (mainly tipper trucks) failed the sideboard inspection,” said the national vehicle inspection company.
Beginning June 1 this year, a tyre will only pass inspection if the entire tyre surface has a tread depth of at least 1.6 mm. Previously, the passing requirement up until May 31 was if 75% of a tyre’s tread area had the stipulated minimum tread depth requirement. The failure rate attributable to tyres was 1.1% for all of May.
Meanwhile, the sideboards of dumper or tipper lorries must not exceed either 762 mm or 610 mm, depending on the vehicle’s gross vehicle weight. Additionally, documentation on the type of load they are allowed to transport must be presented during inspection, which is a practice that was not required previously.
Puspakom said in a written response to the news outlet that heavy vehicle owners and operators should not focus solely on passing inspections, but also prioritise safety and roadworthiness by complying with standards set under the Road Transport Act.
It added that this initial comparison may not be truly reflective of the situation on the ground, as the June data covers only the first 10 days after the ruling came into effect. “Adhering to these standards not only helps safeguard the safety of vehicle owners and other road users, but also contributes significantly to reducing road accidents,” said Puspakom.
Recent high-profile crashes that resulted in the deaths of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel on May 13, as well as the June 9 bus crash that killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, have shined a light on heavy vehicles and their operators.
Puspakom also noted that failure rates (from all causes) of inspected vehicles that saw a bump in January and February have now moderated. “The failure rate for inspection at our centres now average 23%, against a high of 39% in the first two months of the year. This reflects a more cautious and careful approach by vehicle owners, which is positive news for us,” said Mahmood Razak Bahman, CEO of Puspakom.
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Anyone wants to guess how these vehicles manages to get pass Puspacon the one and only with paper coloured special inspection.