KOTA BHARU — A total of 481,119 summonses were issued by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) against foreign drivers through the special operation codenamed ‘Ops Khas Pemandu Warga Asing’ (PeWA) from 2024 to September this year.

JPJ senior enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said the main offences detected were not possessing a Competent Driving Licence, expired Motor Vehicle Licence and no insurance coverage.

He said that out of that total, 183,300 summonses were issued in 2024, followed by 191,676 in 2025 and 106,143 for the period from January to September this year.

“The issue of foreign drivers not only involves enforcement aspects but also includes local employers who hire them without ensuring their qualifications and valid documents, in order to reduce operational costs.

“Employers like that can be considered as colluding or betraying the country. As long as there are parties that collude, this problem will continue. The people need to be aware and responsible for not hiring foreign workers who are not qualified,” he said to Bernama recently.

Muhammad Kifli said that the JPJ has taken a stricter approach in the past three months by taking action against drivers and owners of commercial vehicles, including bringing cases to court without offering a settlement through compound payments for certain cases.

He said that foreigners are not allowed to apply for vocational licences such as Goods Vehicle Licence and Public Service Vehicle Licence, therefore employers need to ensure that lorry or bus drivers meet all the stipulated requirements.