Forum: Lorries still travelling above 60kmh despite speed-limiter requirement

According to the law, all lorries in Singapore with a maximum laden weight (MLW) exceeding 12,000kg are required to have onboard speed limiters to ensure that their drivers do not exceed 60kmh on the roads.

Until recently, I did not know about this law because I routinely come across large lorries that are clearly exceeding the 60kmh limit on highways.

I can tell because when I drive my car at 70kmh to 80kmh on the adjacent lane, these heavy vehicles are keeping pace with me, and, quite often, are going faster than me.

I therefore wonder how effective the speed limiters are. Is it possible for a lorry driver to install a speed limiter, pass whatever qualifying test is needed and then remove the device so that he can speed to his heart’s content?

Recently, the Traffic Police announced that owners of smaller lorries with an MLW of between 3,501kg and 12,000kg will have to start installing speed limiters from January 2024, with drivers being given until the end of December 2027 to install the devices (

Speed limiters will soon be required for lorries in lower weight category,

Nov 3).

How will extending the rule on speed limiters to smaller goods vehicles help?

I have been driving for over three decades now and know that in the past commercial vehicles with labels stating 60kmh on their rear panels generally kept to the left-most lane on highways.

But not any more. Today, it is common to find commercial vehicles of all shapes and sizes hogging the middle lane of highways.

These include heavy vehicles that keep to their speed limit, but still hold up traffic on this lane.

As a result, the overall traffic flow on our highways has slowed considerably.

Motorists who usually drive on the middle lane and use the right outermost lane only for overtaking are now forced to hog the right lane.

What is worse is that I have, on several occasions, encountered drivers of large lorries blatantly speeding on the right outermost lane, often refusing to get out of the lane until some infuriated motorist behind flashes the car headlights or sounds the horn.

All this does not augur well for road safety and courtesy. I rarely see Traffic Police officers patrolling the highways to enforce the rules, and, as a result, the situation seems to be getting worse.

Also, even if speed limiters work efficiently, the installation process for smaller goods vehicles will not be completed until December 2027. 

How will the situation on the highways be managed in the meantime?

Francis Dorai