Selangor: The Selangor Road Transport Department (JPJ) detained an Indian national believed to be working as a commercial vehicle driver without valid work documents during a targeted operation, Op Kenderaan Perdagangan, here today. The 30-year-old man, who only had an international passport, was found driving the heavy vehicle without a licence and is believed to have been living in the country illegally for the past nine years.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Selangor JPJ director Datuk Ahmad Kamarunzaman Mehat said the suspect, who claimed to have worked as a driver for the past two years, was among those detained in the targeted enforcement operation, while his vehicle was one of two seized under Section 64 of the Road Transport Act 1987. "The decision by some employers or vehicle owners to hire foreign nationals without valid licences in pursuit of profit is highly irresponsible, as it disregards the law and puts other road users' safety at risk," he said at a press conference after the operation at the Rawang rest and service area (RandR) here today.

During the two-day operation that began yesterday along the North-South Expressway and the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), covering the Shah Alam-Tanjung Malim stretch, the Selangor JPJ issued summonses to the drivers of 33 commercial vehicles for continuously driving in the rightmost lane. Ahmad Kamarunzaman said the enforcement action followed inspections of 85 commercial vehicles, with the offence being investigated under Rule 4A of the Road Traffic Rules 1959, which prohibits goods vehicles and public service vehicles from doing so.

"The Selangor JPJ takes this offence seriously as heavy vehicles travelling continuously in the rightmost lane can obstruct other vehicles from overtaking safely. Such behaviour could result in sudden braking, risky lane changes and disruptions to the smooth flow of traffic, ultimately increasing the risk of accidents," he said, adding that heavy vehicle drivers often cited the need to reach their destinations quickly as a reason for using the rightmost lane, despite the practice potentially worsening congestion because of the slower speed of such vehicles.

"The rightmost lane is designated for light vehicles and overtaking, while heavy vehicles should keep to the leftmost lane and only use the middle lane when overtaking," he said. He added that as of Aug 31, the Selangor JPJ had inspected 427,938 vehicles, with enforcement action taken against 18,726 of them. He urged all commercial vehicle operators and drivers to comply with road regulations at all times and encouraged the public to report traffic offences through the MyJPJ app, e-AduanaJPJ or aduantrafikajpj.gov.my.