‘How To Review Your Lorry Engine Parts & Maintenance Skill To Enhance Road Safety’ was the theme of the recent seminar organised by the Johor Sand & Granite Lorry Operators’ Association. The seminar, which was fully sponsored by EcoWorld and Chevron Malaysia Limited, took place on 24th July at the EcoWorld Gallery@Eco Business Park 1.
Enhancing Safety: Road Safety Seminar Organized by Johor Sand & Granite Lorry Operators’ Association
The speaker was Dato’ Ooi Win Juat, Puspakom’s Head of Operations (Liaison). Apart from the free voluntary vehicle inspection coupons sponsored by Chevron for the first 50 attendants, there were also promotions by Caltex.
“Vehicle engine overheating is a common issue faced by lorry drivers. When it occurs too often, the technician would remove the thermostat to cool down the engine. In fact, removing the thermostat would make the engine overcool. The low temperature would also slow down the flow of engine oil, which would lead to the wear of engine parts due to insufficient lubrication. Thus, it is important to reinstall the thermostat to your vehicle to prolong engine life,” said Dato’ Ooi.
He stressed that regular preventive maintenance was essential to getting the best performance from the vehicle. Besides oil change, it is important to change coolant once a year. In addition, he suggested that the brake fluid should be replaced every year. This was because over time, brake fluid could absorb moisture from the air, which would cause the fluid to degrade and not work properly.
The Johor Sand & Granite Lorry Operators’ Association President Frankie Chia said after the seminar that according to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), the number of accidents in Johor was alarming.
“There were 73,116 road accidents in Johor last year with the second highest number of fatalities, just behind Selangor. There were 7,152 fatal accidents last year, with 1,135 cases in Johor and 1,140 in Selangor.”
Chia also revealed that the Association was in the process of moving to a new location and the new premises were still under renovation. This new location would house a training centre to enable the Association to hold various road safety related training for its members.
“Our aim is to help raise the standard of Malaysian drivers and technicians in skill and knowledge. We hope to conduct a training session in September. The content will cover SPAD ICOP safety that focuses on 5 critical elements, including operator’s responsibility, fleet management, driver management, journey management and record management.”
Based on MIROS’ statistics in 2011, Chia said human error caused 80.6 per cent of traffic accidents, followed by road conditions (13.2 per cent) and vehicle conditions (6.2 per cent).
“Though vehicle conditions only caused 6.2 per cent of road accidents, we should not ignore the importance of vehicle maintenance to ensure safety,” Chia added.
