The MoT, according to Anthony Loke, is also working to elevate drivers’ status and competency.
MTSB Proposal under Consideration at MoT – Anthony Loke
The Ministry of Transport (MoT) is discussing the proposal to establish the Malaysian Transportation Safety Board (MTSB), a special agency tasked with investigating road accidents in the country, Transport Minister Anthony Loke told Dewan Rakyat members on August 13, 2025.
The proposal to establish MTSB, according to Loke, is a follow up from recommendations made by a special task force that investigated the fatal accident involving members of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) in Teluk Intan, as well as tour bus crash carrying students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Gerik, Perak, earlier this year.
“This is currently under consideration at the ministerial level, but establishing a new body or agency is not as easy as it involves a long and complex process,” Loke said, as reported by Bernama news agency.
Elevating Drivers’ Status
Loke also said the MoT would introduce several initiatives to elevate the status of the driving profession, including training programmes to improve the competency of professional drivers.
“We want to work together to train more professional drivers. The ministry has several planned actions to uplift the status of this profession. We want drivers to be respected and their social status to be elevated,” he explained.
Regarding the ongoing issue of a shortage of bus and lorry drivers due to a lack of interest and low salaries, Loke said the MoT is making sure drivers are fairly compensated, in line with their working hours, workload, and the risks they face. However, he emphasised that not everyone can work as drivers.
“We must not assume that just anyone, even those with criminal records or poor driving histories, can be hired as drivers. We are currently working on a database to identify individuals with past offences, especially those involving dangerous driving, so they can be filtered out,” he concluded.
