Heavy vehicles banned from right lane on highways; rule gazetted in 2015 but yet to be enforced – Jana

Heavy vehicles are not allowed to use the rightmost lane on highways – one of five improvements that the transport ministry will strictly enforce, reports the New Straits Times.

The other regulatory enhancements include mandatory speed control device installation, GPS tracking, high-speed weigh-in-motion (HS-WIM) detectors at 11 highway locations, and additional automated enforcement system (AES) cameras.

Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan said the rule banning buses and lorries from the rightmost lane was gazetted in 2015, but had yet to be enforced.

“Under this rule, lorries and buses must stay in the left lane and are not allowed to speed. If they need to overtake, they may move to the second lane and then return to the left.

“However, they are strictly prohibited from using the third lane at any time. Therefore, we will resubmit this proposal to the minister to ensure its enforcement for heavy vehicles on highways,” he said in an interview, adding that all new lorries already have speed control devices, but owners of older vehicles have the option of installing it themselves.

“This device will limit heavy vehicle speeds to 80-90 km/h to prevent accidents. This regulation has also been gazetted under existing laws, but it has not been enforced yet, and we want to see it implemented,” he added.

Jana Santhiran said the GPS installation rule would take effect this month, allowing the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to take action based on real-time monitoring of the system. For speed control devices and GPS, inspections will be conducted every six months at Puspakom to ensure compliance,” he said.

Authorities could immediately take action on any errant vehicle, including suspending or revoking the permits of lorry or bus companies.

The installation of HS-WIM – which detects overloaded vehicles – at 11 highway locations is expected to be completed in 2026’s first quarter. Two locations are currently in the proof-of-concept phase; the other nine are undergoing pilot projects, expected to be fully operational early next year.

“We are also collaborating with highway operators, as they have systems capable of detecting lorry loads at toll plazas. This technology will be linked to the road transport department (JPJ) to enable automatic issuance of summonses,” Jana Santhiran said, adding that the ministry would seek funding from the finance ministry to add more AES cameras nationwide.

The transport ministry sec-gen said that the aforementioned improvements came from a special task force established in early January to comprehensively address issues related to heavy vehicles.

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