Enforcement, database essential to make telematics work, says expert

PETALING JAYA: Telematics can become “just another electronic device” to monitor commercial vehicles unless backed by effective enforcement and complete driver database, a road safety expert said.

For it to fully serve its purpose, road safety advocate Shahrim Tamrin said, the road transport department (JPJ) must first complete its database and then make it available to the police and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.

He said that based on information derived from the database, compliant operators who consistently have high safety scores could be cleared to proceed faster at roadblocks or checkpoints.

“(On the other hand), those flagged for frequent violations can be held for immediate, targeted audits,” he said.

“When these elements work together, telematics becomes a powerful preventive tool installed in a vehicle,” he told FMT.

The telematics system uses AI-powered tools such as onboard devices and cameras to detect speeding, dangerous driving, and signs of driver fatigue with the aim of improving compliance and reducing commercial vehicle crashes.

However, not all the elements needed to enable the system to meet its objective are in place yet.

As MY Mobility Vision co-founder Rahman Hussin pointed out, the enforcement ecosystem, including the JPJ’s centralised commercial driver database, is still being developed.

It therefore makes sense to opt for a voluntary rollout now, he told FMT.

On June 29, transport minister Loke Siew Fook said the government woud adopt a gradual approach over the next one to two years to determine its effectiveness before deciding on any further measures.

Rahman said that requiring the installation of the devices now would only mean that data is collected but there is no way to check if it means anything.

Cost and adoption barriers 

Another issue is the cost, according to Shahrim.

Loke said selected providers would offer the system through subscription packages of RM60 to RM300 per vehicle per month.

Shahrim said that while the subscription model improved accessibility, it still posed challenges for small and medium-size enterprises operating without dedicated fleet managers.

“At RM60 to RM300, it may sound modest but multiplied across a fleet of 20 to 50 vehicles, it becomes a recurring five-figure monthly cost for operators already running on thin margins,” he said.

To defray the cost to operators, Shahrim suggested that the government work closely with insurance providers to offer immediate discounts on premiums or waivers on additional charges for loading to operators who voluntarily adopt the certified systems.

“If operators can offset their RM60 to RM300 monthly subscription with a 15% drop in insurance premiums, market forces will drive adoption faster than any rulebook,” he added.

Transparency issues 

Rahman also expressed concern that the transport ministry had yet to explain the threshold it had set for moving its telematics policy from voluntary to mandatory.

“JPJ’s database, which will enable the transport ministry to verify who’s really complying, isn’t due until 2027,” he said, adding that the two years for the voluntary rollout must “actually count for something”.

“Two years without a stated trigger point just becomes two years. Compliant operators pay, laggards wait it out and by 2028 the ministry will ask the same question it’s asking now.

“It should publish what threshold moves this from voluntary to mandatory, or ‘voluntary’ will quietly turn into ‘indefinite’,” he added.