Traffic Police officers conducted early-morning enforcement operations across Singapore on January 16 and 17 to identify lorries that have failed to install mandatory speed limiters, as authorities intensify efforts to improve road safety ahead of key compliance deadlines.
At about 5.30 am on January 16, two officers from the Traffic Police (TP) Special Operations Team lay in wait at a Hougang carpark as workers unloaded goods from a white lorry.
Once the vehicle departed, the officers, riding motorcycles with blinkers activated, escorted the driver to a nearby carpark for inspection. The check confirmed that the lorry was fitted with a speed limiter, and it was released after about 20 minutes. Similar checks were carried out at other locations on heavy vehicles.
The stepped-up enforcement follows a police announcement on January 9 that 141 lorry owners had missed their January 1 deadline to install speed limiters. This figure represents nearly 6% of the 2,434 lorries in that batch. TP said three non-compliant lorries were detected during the January 16 and 17 operations, and enforcement action will be taken against their owners.
Deputy commanding officer of TP's patrol unit, Superintendent Lee Jin, said repeated reminders had been sent to lorry owners to meet the mandatory requirements. "Enforcement operations are ongoing to locate these lorries. We will not hesitate to take action against lorry owners for failing to install the speed limiters by their mandatory deadline," he said, as quoted by The Straits Times.
Speed limiters, which cost around S$900, cap a vehicle's maximum speed at 60kmh. The installation programme began in January 2024 for heavy vehicles with a maximum laden weight (MLW) of between 3,501kg and 12,000kg, with owners given two to three years to comply.
About 17,000 eligible lorries must be fitted with speed limiters by July 2027. The first group — lorries with an MLW of 5,001kg to 12,000kg that were registered before January 1, 2018 — must comply by January 1, 2026. In the next phase, lorries registered before 2018 with an MLW of 3,501kg to 5,000kg must have the devices installed by July 1, 2026, though owners are strongly encouraged to do so earlier.
Some industry players have expressed surprise that certain owners have ignored the reminders. Construction company owner Mohd Salman, 55, said failing to comply could severely affect business operations. "We depend on our lorries and heavy vehicles for daily operations. If the vehicle is not used and remains parked, then our business will be greatly affected. It makes no sense to not abide by the new rules if you want to stay in business," he said.
While the exact reasons for non-compliance remain unclear, Singapore Logistics Association chairman Dave Ng suggested several possible factors. These include plans to scrap or deregister vehicles amid high certificate of entitlement (COE) prices, as well as cost and operational challenges.
"The reasons are likely to be a combination of end-of-life planning, cost, operational constraints and practical implementation challenges," he said. In the latest COE bidding exercise, the premium for a Category C certificate stood at about S$75,500.
Penalties for flouting the rules may soon become significantly harsher.
On January 12, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow introduced proposed changes under the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill, which include stiffer fines for failing to install speed limiters.
Currently, offenders face fines of up to S$1,000 for a first offence and S$2,000 for repeat cases. If the Bill is passed, these could rise to S$10,000 and S$20,000 respectively. The proposed amendments are scheduled to be debated in Parliament in February.
