Lorry drivers affected by economic downturn

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SIBU: The economic downturn has affected the business of transportation companies with many operators experiencing at least 50 per cent drop over the last few months.

Chairman of Sibu Lorry Association, Ling Kee Chuong, said this was the first time in many years that the lorry drivers encountered such hardships.

“It’s getting tougher to be lorry operators these days and if the economic recession continues, many lorry drivers may have to shift jobs,” he said.

He said one lorry operator managed to transport cargo for only seven trips in the past few months.

“It is a far cry compared to the same period last year when the lorry drivers still managed to deliver several dozen trips in a month.”

Ling said the hardship was compounded by the recent increase in fuel price by 20 sen.

Since the introduction of the GST, he said, the operating cost of the lorry drivers had increased and gradually, affected their overall business.

“When business drops, shops and companies have less order and this brings about a chain reaction to the lorry companies,” he said.

Ling said lorry drivers were also burdened by the requirement to change the reflective stickers for their lorries.

“It costs the drivers about RM100 to change the sticker and for those lorry drivers who carry gravel and sand, they might need to change the sticker twice a year due to the nature of their job.”

The association has about 200 members and most of them are considering going into other profession if the difficult situation persists.

“The sluggish trade and the economic downturn are affecting the livelihood of the lorry drivers seriously,” Ling added.

Meanwhile, the association will host its AGM on Feb 26, starting 7pm, at Joy Restaurant here.

All members are invited to attend the AGM.

Among the agendas include looking for ways to alleviate the burden of the lorry drivers and to chart the way forward.