PUTRAJAYA: Foreigners are not allowed to drive trailers despite pressure from the industry to address the shortage of drivers, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic).
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Citing data on the country’s haulage for last year, Loke said there were 766 haulage companies with 16,465 prime movers and 61,616 trailers, and a total of 12,326 drivers.
“The government’s stand is not to allow foreigners to drive trailers, despite the industry players insisting that more are needed to make the country competitive,” he told a press conference after chairing the National Logistics Task Force (NLTF) meeting here on Tuesday (April 11).
To overcome the problem, Loke said port authorities had been asked to work with the respective operators to train drivers who lack the Class E licence for driving any type of commercial heavy vehicle with unladen weight exceeding 7,500kg.
“We want to train drivers who work in the port area so that they can apply for this licence, in addition to a Good Driver Licence (GDL). That will give them the option to be haulier drivers,” he said.
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Regarding the management of container depots, he said there were various disputes between the logistics companies (shippers) and shipping companies (shipping line) on the charges at the depot.
“They (stakeholders) are asking the government to regulate container depots so that there is a legal framework that covers management of the charges and standard services.
“If the standards are not met, the government through the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) can take action on the container depot operator,” he said. – Bernama