The Johor Sand & Granite Lorry Operators’ Association held their 6th anniversary dinner and inauguration ceremony on the 17th of August 2018. Asian Trucker was honoured to be invited to the event and to report back on some highlights of the night.

President Frankie Chia, in his opening speech shared some insightful information on the industry that was hard to come by. As operators in the sand and granite industry, they are constantly being watched by regulators to abide by strict rules due to the nature of the industry. Quarries and mines are highly dangerous places where one small mistake could lead to a disaster. Therefore, these operators acknowledge that there is a need for strict rules.

However, rigid rules by the regulators result in time consumed and increased operation costs to the operators. The operation wishes those laws could be looked into by the regulators to improve the situation which would eventually benefit end users. An example to the situation would be the standardisation of working days. As the state of Johor observes a Friday and Saturday off week, this causes disruption the operations which involves inter-state or inter-country (in the case of Singapore) travelling. As operators are bound by the law to observe strict working days, this inevitably would somehow obstruct the running of the trade.

Further complications include the procedural inconvenience that arises from the application of permits. Currently, the state of Johor utilises the 4C permit application process which sees operators having to apply for permit 3 days in advance. This process causes inconvenience and slows down the operation. Other states have long since employed more flexible application systems such as coupon or even e-coupon as in the case of Selangor. The association hopes that the local state regulators will improve the current situation for them without compromising on safety.