Over 600 Commercial Vehicles Fail Tyre Checks Under New JPJ Rules

Since the Road Transport Department (JPJ) introduced stricter inspection criteria this month, Puspakom has reported over 600 tyre test failures among commercial vehicles.

According to The Star, between June 1 and June 10, 43 commercial vehicles, mainly dump trucks, also failed the sideboard inspection. During the same period, 658 out of 49,570 vehicles representing 1.3%, did not pass the tyre checks.

Effective June 1st of this year, a tyre inspection will only be passed if the tread depth is a minimum of 1.6 mm across the entire tire.

Before this date, up to May 31st, a tyre only needed to meet this tread depth requirement in 75% of its tread area to pass inspection. Notably, the tyre failure rate for the entire month of May was 1.1%.

Furthermore, regulations concerning tipper and dumper lorries now specify that their sideboards cannot exceed 610 mm or 762 mm in length, depending on the vehicle's gross weight.

A new requirement during inspection also mandates the provision of documentation detailing the permissible load types, a step not previously required.

Puspakom, in a statement to The Star, advised heavy vehicle owners and operators to prioritize roadworthiness and safety, not just passing inspections.

The agency also stated that initial data from the first ten days after a recent ruling took effect in June might not yet provide a complete picture of the actual situation.

“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,” it says.

On a separate matter,  the national vehicle inspection company said 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 Puspakom CEO Mahmood Razak Bahman, adding this trend likely indicates increased vehicle owner caution through better maintenance.

Recent tragic incidents have brought heavy vehicles and their operators into the spotlight. These include the deaths of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel on May 13 and a subsequent bus crash on June 9 that claimed the lives of 15 students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).