Kornpitak Asanasuwan, head of the policy division at the PLTO, explained to The Phuket News today that initial enforcement will be focusing on delivery transport drivers and drivers of public transport vehicles only, including truck, van and motorbike delivery drivers as well as tuk-tuks, taxi, bus and passenger van drivers.
“Before the introduction of the new rules today, we held training sessions to inform operators, including public drivers and transport vehicles,” Mr Kornpitak said.
“We have conducted public relations campaigns among service providers as well,” he added.
Mr Kornpitak urged drivers to familiarise themselves with the new rules, which have been posted on the Department of Land Transport website and Facebook page.
“Or people can call the Land Transport Department hotline 1584,” he said.
The PLTO has also posted the new rules on its Facebook page.
Police will be resposnsible for enforcement of the new rules, Mr Kornpitak pointed out.
Land Transport Department Director-General Chirute Visalachitra last month made a public statement to clarify that the new rules will initially apply to delivery and public transport drivers only.
From Dec 1, the department will fully implement two regulations targeting drivers of taxis, tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis, he said.
The second of the two regulations will see their licences suspended or withdrawn if the offender runs out of points, he added.
The drivers will initially be awarded 100 points with deductions of 10, 20 or 30 points for traffic violations depending on the severity of the offence.
Anyone who breaks the law and does not have any points left on their licence will have it suspended for 90 days.
Two suspensions in three years will result in them losing their licence for 180 days, the agency said.
Some offences will result in the immediate loss of all points they have left. These include the use of narcotics, using a suspended licence, harming others’ safety or causing accidents that result in fatalities.
Drivers with deducted points can recover 50-100 points by joining two four-hour training sessions.
Their points will be returned on the day of the examination following the training. If they do not pass, they will be given three opportunities to take the test again within seven days.
Drivers can attend one training session per year.
Those who wish to recover their points can file a complaint with transport offices across the country using their driving licences or ID cards.
These measures will not be applied to drivers of private cars for personal use, the department said.