Ban retreaded tyres immediately

 Public safety is paramount, not profits.

From Ashraf Abdullah

Nine members of Malaysia’s Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) lost their lives on a rural stretch of road near Teluk Intan on Tuesday. Their truck collided with a lorry on Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam.

At the time of writing, two others were fighting for their lives in the hospital. We do not know yet if retreaded tyres played a role as the investigation is ongoing, but tragedies like this have become disturbingly familiar. And it is time we confronted one of the root problems hiding in plain sight on our highways: the use of retreaded tyres on heavy vehicles.

It is a silent killer that leaves shredded rubber on our roads and shattered lives in its wake. Every Malaysian motorist has seen it — strips of tyre carcass strewn along the highway, some the size of a table. We avoid them if we are lucky. But sometimes, someone else is not.

We see pieces of tyres all over the roads on a daily basis. I am sure many motorists will vouch for this. You do not see this elsewhere in the world.

Let’s be brutally honest: retreaded tyres are dangerous, especially when slapped onto overloaded lorries under our scorching tropical sun. And no amount of cost savings can justify putting the public in harm’s way.

Cheap to buy, deadly when used

Retreaded tyres – or “tayar celup”, as they are commonly known – are made by applying new tread to old, worn-out tyre casings. The idea is to recycle the casing and extend its lifespan at a fraction of the cost of a new tyre. Fleet operators love them. A retreaded tyre can cost 40% to 60% less than a new one. For a transport company with dozens of trucks, that is serious money.

But here is the problem: the risks are just as real. These tyres are far more prone to blowouts, particularly under conditions common in Malaysia – heat, heavy rain, poor road maintenance, and most of all and to no one’s surprise, overloading. When a retread fails, it does not just deflate — it detonates. The entire tread can peel off, sending the lorry veering into oncoming traffic or jack-knifing across lanes.

And it is not speculation. The statistics back it up. In 2019, then works minister Baru Bian revealed that retreaded tyres were linked to over 10,000 road accidents in Malaysia every year. That is more than 27 accidents a day. Let that sink in.

Businesses can’t cut corners when lives are at stake

Let’s be clear: this is not just a technical issue. It is a moral one. Businesses — whether large logistics firms or backyard lorry owners — cannot be allowed to cut corners in the name of profit when human lives are on the line.

But that is exactly what is happening. In many cases, retreaded tyres are not being produced in high-tech, tightly regulated factories. They are being made in dusty workshops, with dubious materials and barely any oversight. Tyres that should be condemned are being patched, glued, and sent back onto the road — where your family might be driving alongside them.

The excuse is always the same: “We cannot afford new tyres.” But how can we accept that reasoning when the cost of one fatal accident often exceeds the savings of outfitting an entire fleet with new tyres? It is short-term thinking at its most reckless.

Developed nations regulate, we compromise

Some may argue that retreaded tyres are used even in developed countries. That is partially true — but with a huge asterisk. In the European Union, for instance, retreads must comply with strict safety standards under UNECE Regulation No. 109. In the United States, their use is restricted in many applications and they are rigorously inspected, particularly in commercial passenger transport.

But here in Malaysia, enforcement is patchy at best. Inspections are infrequent. Regulation is weak. And illegal workshops flourish in the shadows.

So no, we cannot compare our system to Europe or America. Their rules are enforced. Ours are ignored. This is not a case of catching up with modern practices. It is a case of abandoning a third-world mentality that treats public safety as optional.

Enough is enough: ban retreaded tyres on heavy vehicles

It is time for Malaysia to take a hard stand. Retreaded tyres should be banned outright on all heavy commercial vehicles — lorries, buses, trailers, construction vehicles. No exceptions.

That is not an extremist position. It is common sense.

In February 2025, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah made the same call. He highlighted that these tyres are directly linked to thousands of avoidable accidents. His comments were widely reported. His message was clear: we cannot allow this to continue.

And yet, the silence from those in power has been deafening.

The government has an obligation to protect road users — not a handful of towkays running backyard tyre shops. These workshops might save fleet operators a few ringgit, but at what cost? Are we really willing to exchange the safety of an entire nation’s roads for their profit margins?

Public support is growing. Authorities must catch up

The public knows what is going on. Social media is filled with dashcam videos of lorry tyres exploding, sending debris flying across highways. Motorcyclists share near-death stories. Drivers post images of near-misses with tyre remnants scattered across major roads.

The Malaysia Tipper Lorry Operators Association has even called on the government to re-examine tyre quality and its link to road accidents. When even industry insiders admit there is a problem, what excuse is left for inaction?

We cannot normalise risk. We cannot shrug off preventable deaths as “fate”. Every time a retreaded tyre explodes and a lorry ploughs into oncoming traffic, we are reminded of a broken system — and of a government too timid to fix it.

The way forward

Banning retreaded tyres does not mean punishing hauliers. The government can and should support the transition — through tax incentives, rebates, or even a buy-back scheme for operators who switch to new tyres. The small transport companies should be aided, but the larger ones with big profit margins should bear the entire cost. But the message must be firm: if your tyres are not new, your truck does not belong on the road.

This must be coupled with rigorous inspection regimes, real enforcement, and a crackdown on illegal retreading operations. We cannot clean up our roads if shady workshops are allowed to operate without consequence.

Let’s also revisit roadworthiness inspections and implement random tyre checks at weigh stations. Let’s build a system where safety is not optional – it is expected.

We do not know what caused Tuesday’s crash in Teluk Intan. And we should wait for the authorities to complete their investigation before drawing conclusions.

But what we do know is this: we have seen enough. We have read enough. And far too many families have buried loved ones because of decisions made in dusty workshops and accounting spreadsheets.

It is time to stop waiting for the next tragedy to wake us up. The alarm has been ringing for years. Ban retreaded tyres on heavy vehicles — and start putting the safety of Malaysians ahead of bottom lines. - FMT

Ashraf Abdullah is the former group managing editor (News and Current Affairs), Media Prima TV Networks.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT