Nearly Half A Million Summonses To Foreign Drivers: JPJ Says Some Employers Are Enabling It

Nearly half a million summonses issued to foreign drivers sounds like a pretty serious enforcement problem. But according to the Road Transport Department (JPJ), the people behind the wheel aren't necessarily the only ones contributing to it.

A total of 481,119 summonses were issued to foreign drivers under Ops Khas Pemandu Warga Asing (Ops PeWA) between 2024 and September 2026, according to JPJ senior enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan.

The biggest offences detected? Driving without a Competent Driving Licence (CDL), expired road tax and having no insurance coverage.

More Than 100,000 Summonses This Year

Here's how that figure has built up since 2024:

That works out to more than 17,800 summonses per month on average across the 27-month period. But JPJ says enforcement against foreign drivers only addresses part of the issue.

Muhammad Kifli said some local employers hire foreign nationals without ensuring they have the necessary qualifications and valid documents, with reducing operating costs cited as a motivation.

JPJ Is Going After Employers And Vehicle Owners Too

JPJ says it has adopted a tougher approach over the past three months, with enforcement extending beyond drivers to owners of commercial vehicles.

Certain cases are now being brought directly to court rather than being offered compound settlements. JPJ also warned that commercial vehicles used in such offences could be seized and forfeited under the Land Public Transport Act 2010.

This isn't the first time JPJ has warned employers about the issue either.

During an Ops PeWA operation in Balakong earlier this year, JPJ explicitly warned vehicle owners and employers not to allow foreign nationals to drive without the required qualifications and valid documents, adding that legal action could follow.

There's also an important limitation for commercial operators.

According to Muhammad Kifli, foreign nationals cannot apply for vocational licences such as a Goods Driving Licence (GDL) or Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence, meaning employers have a responsibility to ensure whoever they put behind the wheel of a lorry or bus meets the required conditions.

And This Isn't Just A Hypothetical Problem

A case uncovered just last week shows what JPJ is talking about. On Sept 21, the Immigration Department intercepted seven vans carrying foreign passengers around Kajang and Putrajaya. Six were being driven by foreign nationals, comprising five Bangladeshis and one Indonesian.

According to Immigration, the six did not possess valid travel documents or passes, while checks also found they lacked valid competent driving licences, with some using probationary licences.

Thousands Of Vehicles Have Been Targeted Too

Enforcement hasn't stopped at issuing summonses.

There's another interesting part of the motorcycle problem.

JPJ says some Myanmar refugees were found renting motorcycles from locals for between RM50 and RM200 per month, depending on the vehicle's condition, before modifying them into three-wheelers to collect used goods and recyclables.

Again, it raises the same issue: enforcement isn't necessarily only about the person riding or driving the vehicle. There may also be someone supplying the vehicle in the first place.

JPJ Says Ops PeWA Will Continue Nationwide

JPJ says it plans to intensify Ops PeWA nationwide and has asked the public to provide information that could assist enforcement efforts.

The department also rejected a viral claim that Myanmar refugees would be allowed to obtain driving licences, saying the account responsible for spreading the information had been reported to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

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