Employers Should Face Penalties For Hiring Drivers With Criminal Records - Expert

Employers or companies allowing drivers with criminal or traffic violation records to continue driving should face severe penalties, stated Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua of UPM's Road Safety Research Centre.
It was emphasised that strict regulations are necessary to force employers to perform thorough pre-employment background checks, especially for heavy vehicle drivers.
According to the law, thorough driver screening is crucial, and employers who are found to be at fault should face monetary fines or possibly jail time if a driver is involved in a serious accident.


"Essentially, employers should not take a lax attitude purely for profit while ignoring road user safety,” he told Bernama.

On Tuesday, a collision in Teluk Intan, Perak involving a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) truck and a gravel lorry, resulted in the deaths of nine FRU members and serious injuries to two others.

Perak police head Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin reported that the 45-year-old truck driver, who has been detained, has a record of six prior criminal offenses, including drug-related charges.

Preliminary investigations suggest a manufacturing defect caused the truck's steering failure. This problem likely could have been avoided with routine vehicle checks.

Law questioned whether the involved trucking company conducted mandatory bi-annual inspections at Puspakom.

"The issue of enforcement has long been raised, but firm action is only seen after accidents or serious incidents occur, and this raises the question of whether a preventive approach alone is insufficient

“Instead, heavy penalties such as a minimum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of more than 10 years should be imposed to ensure employers are deterred and do not take things lightly," he said.


Meanwhile, chairman of the Alliance for a Safe Community Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye urged the government to assess the safety features of security force vehicles to prevent future incidents.

Similarly, Ahmad Fakhrul Anuar Ismail, president of the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH), suggested that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) re-evaluate the suitability of FRU vehicles for transporting personnel over long distances.



"The aspects of engineering, comfort, safety and ergonomic needs must be reconsidered so as not to compromise the safety of security personnel while on duty,” he stated.