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14th Committee Inauguration & Fund-Raising Dinner of Johor Lorry Operators’ Association
The Johor Lorry Operators’ Association (JLOA) organised its 14th Committee Inauguration & Fund-Raising Dinner at the Pekin Sutera Sdn Bhd Restaurant in Skudai, Johor on 18th June, 2017.
The event was well attended by VIPs, the specially appointed Chinese Representative Officer at Johor Governor Office Tan Cher Puk, President of Pan Malaysia Lorry Owners’ Association Anthony Tan, Honorary President Dato Tan Yong Thai, Hing Hang Foo and Dato Tan Knan You. Also present were the presidents and representatives from various associations including Johor Bahru Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JBCCCI), Johor Freight Forwarders Association (JOFFA), Johor Mater Builders Association (JMBA), and Johor Ports Shipping and Forwarding Association (JPSFA), sponsors, guests and supporters.
In his welcoming speech, JLOA President Novan Hing said this was probably the largest scale of a fund-raising dinner organised by JLOA and believed this was a very positive start for the new committee.
“If we look back in history and the current business situation, the transportation industry in Malaysia is never an easy way out. It remains one of the business sectors with the biggest challenge, yet it is so important for our services to remain vital for the growth of the country. Among the challenges, the two main areas that we would like to focus on are the upkeep of the industry and authorised safety standard, and sustainable growth.”
When it came to Road Transportation Safety, he continued that there should not be any compromises from the transportation community and public. In line with the Malaysian government’s effort to improve and minimise transport related accidents, JLOA encouraged safety awareness programmes and communication among members.
“We realise that there is still quite a number of members that are far from achieving a good
industry safety standard in Johor, let alone Malaysia, compared to our neighbouring countries. Two years ago, when the authorised agency Land Public Transport Commission, or in Bahasa Malaysia, Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (SPAD), implemented and enforced the compliance of Industrial Code of Practice (ICOP) safety programme as part of the requirement for the Operator’s Licence renewal, we realised that many small and medium operators had very little idea about how to overcome it. JLOA then took on a proactive role by providing support on this matter. Hence from 2017 onwards, JLOA’s priority is to assist our members in complying with the SPAD’s ICOP requirement, which is adopting the best practices for conducting safe transportation operations.”
One of JLOA’s major breakthroughs in 2017, he pointed out, was the success of working with the Federation of Malaysia Manufacturer (FMM) by utilising its resources in developing the ICOP training programmes and making them available to JLOA members at a reasonable cost, which was claimable under the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF).
“Our future plan is to make this programme available across the entire country for the Malaysia Trucking Federation members. Thus, I urge all truck and fleet operators who encounter challenges in meeting the ICOP compliance requirements to contact our committee members for assistance.”
To achieve sustainable business growth for members, JLOA took the effort to roll out some programmes that it believed would lower the cost of operation.
He continued that JLOA initiated a programme called ‘Bulk Purchase Programme’ (BPP) on reflective stickers in November 2016. The initial idea, he said, was to help members source from a quality supplier who could make the supply more affordable regardless of the volume.
“The programme was successful. Thus, we could do more for procurements such as lubricants and tyres, just to name a few, so that good quality supply and competitive pricing are achievable for members who are not able to purchase in big volume. JLOA would consolidate its members’ buying power and negotiate the best price with JLOA’s approved qualified vendors.”
As for the vendors, he said the negotiation was beyond good pricing and discounts as the association was also looking at vendors in the light of providing value added services to its members regardless of scale and their effort in research and development (R&D) to improve and improvise in the products they supply. In short, he said these value added services would eventually help members and the industry sustain and achieve long term growth.
Lastly, he urged members to embrace the current information system and technology that was available for managing their day-to-day business.
In conjunction with the event, the Association also organised a small exhibition that attracted some major players in the industry. Among them were Hap Seng, Scania Malaysia, Kit Loong, Kian Ho Tyres Sdn Bhd, Electorms Bhd, Long March Tyre Sdn Bhd and Yong Ming Auto Industrial Parts (Johor).
Below is the list of the 14th (2017/18) JLOA Committee Members:
President： Novan Hing
Deputy President：Anthony Tan
1st Vice President: Kelvin Chong
2nd Vice President: Leow Hock Tiap
3rd Vice President: VVK Manni Vattiyan
Secretary: Tan Kim Wei
Assistant Secretary: Eng Cheng Soon
Treasurer: Chai Mui Seng
Assistant Treasurer: Chai Pei Yoon
Welfare Officer: Jacky Leong
Assistant Welfare Officer: Song Boon Chin
Publicity Officer: Liew Wee Seng
Assistant Publicity Officer: K.S. Andrew
Committee: Lim Wee Cheang
Wong Kong Shyong
Jeffrey Wan
Lee Queck Fen
Tan Cher Chiang
Lee Ming Dek
Sam Yeo Chai Cheng
David Tan
Audit: Fong Chee Chen
Yaw Hoe Siang