81 heavy vehicle drivers issued summonses after islandwide enforcement blitz

SINGAPORE – A total of 81 errant drivers of heavy vehicles were issued summonses following a three-day islandwide enforcement blitz in May.

On May 9, the police said that a total of 87 offences had been committed, with some drivers found to have committed more than one offence.

The authorities stopped a total of 192 heavy vehicles for checks during the operation conducted by the police and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) from May 5 to 7.

Summonses issued were for a wide range of traffic offences. These included speeding, using a mobile communication device while driving, failing to keep left, failing to secure the load on a vehicle using ropes or other proper materials and failing to visibly display a speed limiter label.

Some 94 LTA-related offences were also found, comprising excluded vehicles travelling on expressways without a permit, as well as overloaded vehicles.

Drivers of such vehicles who are found guilty of either offence can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for three months, or both. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $2,000 and jailed for up to six months, or both.

According to the Road Traffic Act, excluded vehicles are not allowed to be driven on expressways without a permit. Heavy vehicles on the list of exclusions include low trailers, road rollers, concrete trucks, mobile cranes, forklifts and excavators.

According to Legal Advice Singapore, a website under law firm JCP Law, road traffic offences, which relate to the behaviour and actions of a driver in a vehicle, are distinct from offences relating to a vehicle, which come under the jurisdiction of the LTA.

“The number of heavy vehicles found operating without speed limiter labels was of particular concern,” said the police in their May 9 statement, noting that a total of 24 heavy vehicles were found to have done so during the operation.

The police explained that speed limiters are crucial safety devices installed within the vehicle – typically connected to the vehicle’s accelerator system – that effectively restrict the vehicle’s maximum speed.

This significantly reduces the risk of speed-related accidents and lessens their consequences, said the police, adding that these devices work in conjunction with other measures, such as infrastructure improvements and enforcement, to reduce fatalities and injuries among road users.

“It is particularly important for larger and heavier vehicles not to speed, given the increased risks they pose to other road users,” they said.

All owners of heavy vehicles with maximum laden weight (MLW) exceeding 12,000kg are reminded to outfit them with speed limiters, with the label clearly being displayed on the windscreen.

Failure to display this label visibly at the top right portion of the vehicle’s front windscreen carries a fine of up to $1,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.

In November 2023

, the Traffic Police announced that to improve safety, lighter lorries with an MLW of between 3,501kg and 12,000kg would be required to have speed limiters. These devices ensure that such lorries do not go beyond the speed limit of 60kmh.

It was already compulsory for goods vehicles with an MLW exceeding 12,000kg to have a speed limiter installed.

For lorries registered before 2018, a speed limiter must be installed before 2026 if their MLW is between 5,001kg and 12,000kg, and before July 2026 for those with an MLW of between 3,501kg and 5,000kg.

For newer lorries registered from 2018, owners will have to install the device before 2027 if the MLW of their vehicles is between 5,001kg and 12,000kg, and before July 2027 if the MLW is between 3,501kg and 5,000kg.

Speed limiters will also be required for imported lorries to be approved from 2026.