Puspakom rolls out JPJ’s revised brake inspection protocol for heavy vehicles – emphasis on drag force

Following a road transport department (JPJ) directive, Puspakom has implemented a revised brake inspection protocol for lorries, effective January 12. This will fail heavy vehicles with “excessively tight or excessively loose” brake settings, which can cause loss of control, longer stopping distances and serious accidents.

One of the revised protocol’s key assessments is drag force, which is resistance in the braking system before the pedal is pressed. Excessive drag force indicates that the brakes may already be partially engaged, increasing heat build-up and reducing braking efficiency over time.

“(Brake) settings that are too tight or too loose compromise a driver’s ability to control the vehicle, particularly during emergency braking or when travelling downhill,” Puspakom CEO Mahmood Razak Bahman said, adding that some owners and operators temporarily adjust brake settings just to pass inspections before reverting for operational convenience.

“This practice places not only the driver at risk, but also other road users who share the same roads,” he said, explaining that the revised protocol addresses this by ensuring that brakes are assessed based on safe operational parameters.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility. While Puspakom conducts inspections, the safety of a vehicle ultimately depends on responsible maintenance by owners, operators, workshops and drivers. We are committed to supporting JPJ’s efforts to improve road safety outcomes, while continuing to engage with industry stakeholders to ensure clarity on inspection standards and procedures.

“We urge all vehicle owners and operators to treat inspections as a safety safeguard, not a hurdle, because the condition of every heavy vehicle on the road affects the lives of everyone around it,” Mahmood said.

In October, Puspakom announced two new tests in the mandatory periodic inspection (pemeriksaan berkala) procedure – one for the tyres (under-inflation check) and another for the brakes (drag force not to exceed 10% for each axle).

These are in addition to the new points in four key areas that came into force on September 1 – brake system efficiency, brake test for trailers, tyres and visual inspection. Should there be a failure of any item that functions as a pair in a system, all related items will have to be inspected again in the retest. Also, the functionality test for bogie axles is now mandatory.

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