Friday June 6, 2008
Lorry transport fees up
By GLADYS TAY
JOHOR BARU: Lorry transportation charges in the state have increased between 40% and 60% effective yesterday.
Johor Lorry Operators Association president Leow Hock Tiap said the new rates complied with the Road Transport Act 1987 allowing lorry operators to charge a maximum of 15 sen for every kilometre.
“The new rate is approximately 14 sen, an increase of four sen from the previous 10 sen,” he said.
Leow said the association also agreed to include other costs to the new charges such as maintenance fees and wages resulting in a rise of between 40% and 60% for cargo lorries while tipper lorries’ charges would increase by 40%.
“The price for sand suppliers carrying a load of about 18 tonnes will be RM750 instead of RM580,” he said, adding that currently 60% of their costs went to diesel alone.
Leow cited an example, saying that the charge for a trip from Johor Baru to Shah Alam, using a 14-roller lorry with a 36-tonne gross combined vehicle weight (BDM), would cost RM980 from RM700.
He also explained that although all lorry drivers hold a fleet card which allowed them a 15 sen discount for every litre of diesel, only cargo lorries were entitled to the benefit.
“Moreover, the subsidy is only limited, depending on the type of lorries,” he said.
He said that a 36-tonne BDM lorry could only enjoy the benefit up to 2,160 litres of diesel per month and any amount beyond that would be charged at the normal price.
“Such a cargo lorry usually consumes up to 4,000 litres per month, which means that only half of the diesel used is subsidised,” he said.
“We understand that this move will cause businesses to increase the prices of their goods and services but it is unavoidable as the operating cost is too high to be solely absorbed by us,” he said.
In Bukit Mertajam, lorry operators in the northern states increased their rates by about 35%.
Persatuan Perkhidmatan Pengangkutan Lori (Bahagian Utara) Malaysia president Lee Far Li said the RM1 increase would eat up 35% of their operations cost.
“We have no choice but to increase our rates. Otherwise, we cannot continue with our services,” he said.
The association, an affiliate of the Pan Malaysian Lorry Owners, held a meeting and announced the new rates.
Lee said the association would monitor the situation and if there was another fuel price increase, it would have to make another review.
Lee explained that a trip from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur, depending on the delivery material, can cost between RM1,000 and RM1,200. With the increased rates, it would now cost between RM1,350 and RM1,550 per trip.
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