Maximum fines for lorry owners who flout speed limiter rules may rise to 10 times current penalties
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Speed limiters cap a vehicle’s top speed at 60kmh, reducing the risk of speeding-related accidents involving heavy vehicles.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – Lorry owners who fail to install speed limiters will face much stiffer penalties under proposed changes to the law, to better reflect the harm posed by such speeding vehicles.
Under these changes, the maximum fine for such offences will be $10,000 for a first offence and $20,000 for a second, 10 times the current penalties.
Currently, those who fall foul of the law can be fined up to $1,000 for their first offence and up to $2,000 for repeat offences.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the proposed changes are more commensurate with the road safety risks posed by such vehicles, and bring penalties for speed limiter offences in line with those for offences related to motor vehicle modification.
On Dec 30, 2025, six drivers of heavy vehicles were charged in court with speeding offences committed between August and October.
Their vehicles – including buses, cement mixers and a tipper truck – were not fitted with speed limiters. They were found to be exceeding imposed speed limits by 15kmh to 24kmh.
The tougher proposed penalties are part of the Land Transport and Related Matters Bill, introduced by Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Jan 12. It will be debated by Parliament in February.
The Bill also introduces new penalties aimed at those who give instructions for speed limiters to be tampered with, as well as those who offer such services. This is to strengthen accountability across all parties involved, MHA said.
For example, both owners and drivers will be responsible for ensuring that speed limiters installed on their lorries have not been tampered with. Drivers who operate non-compliant lorries could face penalties, as could owners or fleet operators who instruct or allow their use.
The Bill also proposes banning the offering, advertising or carrying out of unauthorised speed limiter services.
In addition, people who are authorised to service or inspect speed limiters will need to alert the Traffic Police if they detect signs of tampering or non-compliance.
The Traffic Police has not detected any cases of speed limiter tampering over the past five years, it said on Jan 23 in response to queries from The Straits Times.
This is likely because such tampering is difficult to identify using existing inspection methods, it added, and mandatory reporting will improve detection rates and allow enforcement action to be taken.
MHA said the Bill also covers other amendments, such as allowing the Traffic Police to outsource the processing of straightforward camera-detected traffic violations to trained civilian contractors, freeing up officers to focus on more complex cases.
These violations include beating the red light, crossing double white lines, speeding and making illegal U-turns, the Traffic Police said on Jan 23.
Speed limiters cap a vehicle’s top speed at 60kmh, reducing the risk of speeding-related accidents involving heavy vehicles. Announced in 2023
Goods vehicles with an MLW of over 12,000kg are already required to have speed limiters, and all newly imported lorries with an MLW of above 3,500kg must come fitted with the device.
For older vehicles, installation deadlines vary. Lorries registered before 2018 with an MLW of between 5,001kg and 12,000kg were required to install speed limiters by Jan 1, 2026.
Those registered before 2018 with an MLW of between 3,501kg and 5,000kg have until July 1, 2026, while lorries registered in or after 2018 have up to July 1, 2027, to do so.
The police said on Jan 9, 2026, that the owners of 141 lorries had failed to install speed limiters by the Jan 1 deadline
The Traffic Police will take enforcement action against these owners, with companies receiving notices to present their vehicles for inspection at authorised centres.
The number of people killed and injured in traffic accidents hit a five-year high in 2024
There was also a spike in speeding violations in the first half of 2025
