The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has announced that it will introduce new standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines for commercial and public service vehicles next month.

According to JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli, this initiative is intended to address the recent increase in accidents involving heavy vehicles, particularly lorries.

He stated that the SOPs will include stricter enforcement protocols against commercial vehicle drivers who exceed the prescribed speed limit and thereby endanger other road users, as reported by local media.

"At present, JPJ is reviewing and detailing the SOPs in collaboration with other stakeholders. The focus is on vehicles weighing over 7.5 tons. Matters under review include stricter measures against commercial vehicles that violate speed limits, as well as the prohibition of such vehicles from using the far-right lane, in line with the earlier announcement by Transport Minister Anthony Loke," he said.

In March, it was reported that heavy vehicles would soon be prohibited from using the rightmost lane on highways - a regulation that was gazetted in 2015 but has not yet been enforced. This initiative forms part of five measures the Ministry of Transport intends to implement and enforce.

Other regulatory enhancements include the mandatory installation of speed control devices, GPS tracking systems, high-speed weigh-in-motion (HS-WIM) detectors at 11 highway locations, and the addition of automated enforcement system (AES) cameras.