TAWAU: Road Transport Department (RTD) Sabah Director Datuk Mohd Harris Ali revealed that enforcement actions taken against overloaded vehicles in the State showed a significant increase last year.
He said a total of 3,350 summonses were issued to overloaded vehicles throughout 2025, representing a 283 per cent increase compared to 2024. According to him, monitoring of heavy vehicles, including logging trucks entering urban areas during peak hours, will be intensified.
Advertisement
This aims to ensure more comprehensive enforcement, particularly in accident hotspots and routes frequently cited in public complaints.
He said RTD Sabah will reassess operational hours and carry out undercover enforcement to ensure heavy vehicles adhere to set specifications and permitted movement times.
“We will also consult with relevant agencies, such as the Public Works Department (PWD) and State authorities, to regulate the movement of heavy vehicles, especially during peak periods.”
Regarding the upcoming festive seasons and school holidays, Mohd Harris said special operations would be conducted.
This includes the enforcement of a total road ban on heavy vehicles, typically implemented two days before and two days after festive periods, subject to gazetting by the Transport Ministry.
He stressed that RTD Sabah remains committed to ensuring road user safety and maintaining a high “perception of being caught” to ensure compliance with traffic laws.
Mohd Harris was speaking to the media following a RTD Sabah Integrated Operation conducted alongside strategic partners – Tawau District Police, Sabah Immigration Department and National Registration Department (NRD) – at Jalan Kuhara, here, on Tuesday night.
The operation, from 8pm to 10pm, saw 271 vehicles inspected. Twenty-two summonses were issued involving seven vehicles, though no vehicle seizures were made during the operation.
During the operation, the police issued 10 summonses, while the Immigration Department detained four men. Identified offences included driving without a licence, expired driving licence and invalid road tax.
“These are recurring offences frequently detected despite continuous enforcement. Therefore, road users are advised to ensure their driving licences and road tax are always valid,” he said.
In terms of overall statistics for last year, he disclosed that RTD Sabah inspected over 576,000 vehicles, an increase of 43 per cent from the previous year. From that total, 112,000 summonses were issued, a 14 per cent increase compared to 2024.
Mohd Harris also said RTD Sabah is currently evaluating several strategic locations for the construction of enforcement stations and weighing systems, including areas near the CIQS (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security) complexes and the Sapulut-Kalabakan route, to ensure optimum inspections.
Additionally, he said the proposed construction of an enforcement station in Kota Belud is under consideration and will be included under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
