The Penang Master Builders (PMB) Association has appealed to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to implement a flexible transitional mechanism for lorry load regulations, balancing enforcement objectives with practical industry needs.

PMB President Dato’ Goh Teng Whoo stated that while the Association fully supports the government’s road safety initiatives, the current strict enforcement of load limits threatens to disrupt construction timelines and increase costs across the supply chain.

He highlighted that lorry operators face numerous technical and management challenges in their daily operations, including issues such as weighing discrepancies, varying lorry specifications, rising transportation costs, and driver training requirements.

Therefore, he appealed to the government to consider these practical difficulties when implementing enforcement measures, requesting an adjustment period for operators to make necessary changes and improve their overall business operations.

“The authorities should adjust load capacity limits reasonably, based on lorry models and actual operational conditions,” Dato’ Goh suggested.

He explained that strict regulations would not only drive up construction costs and delay project timelines but could also necessitate doubling the existing number of lorries to meet market demand.

“Many lorry operators are small to medium enterprises with limited cash flow, making immediate fleet upgrades or expansion to comply with strict load limits unaffordable,” he added.

He emphasized that without reasonable adjustments to load limits, the entire construction ecosystem, from material suppliers and contractors to property developers, would suffer with end-consumers ultimately bearing the increased costs.

Additionally, he mentioned that the construction sector is already grappling with a separate challenge, a sudden 25% price increase for concrete, which Dato’ Goh described as “unreasonable.”

“A 10–15% increase might be manageable, but 25% creates tremendous pressure on project viability,” he noted.