Commercial vehicle operators are reminded to ensure the safety of their vehicles to prevent harm to other motorists, local news has reported. These operators risk suspension by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) if their vehicles fail the Road Transport Department's (JPJ) audit process after being involved in accidents, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

''It is now part of the SOP (standard operating procedure) that if there is an accident, regardless of whether it is a minor or fatal one, the lorry company will be audited. Last year, hundreds of lorry companies failed their audits and had their operations suspended,'' Loke said.

The Transport Minister stressed that the ban on three-pin and USB sockets on express buses remains in effect, as guidelines for their use are still being drafted. The JPJ is working with the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) and the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry to develop the guidelines.

This follows an incident in which a teenager, a passenger on a bus in Penang, was fatally electrocuted. Subsequently, APAD imposed a ban on the use of charging sockets in all express buses.

Separately, Puspakom CEO Mahmood Razak Bahman stated today that there is no regulation requiring heavy vehicles to have the same type of tyres they originally came with. This clarification follows a lorry owner's claim that a Puspakom regulation on tyre type was among the reasons for tyre rentals from 'cosmetic agents' to pass inspections an allegation the Puspakom CEO denied.

Additionally, the transport minister announced today that Puspakom will no longer allow multiple slot bookings for the same vehicle registration, in an effort to eliminate middlemen and 'runners' who have been found to sell inspection appointment slots for profit.