Sustainable Road Freight Transport in Sabah: Legal and Operational Barriers to Green Logistics

Anas Afandi Ahmad Apandi, Hayyum Suleikha Selamat, Muna Farhana Halim, Abang Ikhbal Abang Bolhil, Irwan Ibrahim and Ahmad Shahriman Ahamad Tekmezi
Additional contact information
Anas Afandi Ahmad Apandi: Lecturer, School of Economics and Management, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
Hayyum Suleikha Selamat: Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Management, UCSI University Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Muna Farhana Halim: Lecturer, Department of General Studies, Kolej Professional MARA Bandar Melaka,Melaka, Malaysia
Abang Ikhbal Abang Bolhil: Lecturer, Centre of Foundation Studies, University Technology MARA, Kampus Dengkil Cawangan Selangor, Malaysia.
Irwan Ibrahim: Associate Fellow, Malaysia Institute of Transport, University Technology MARA, Malaysia. Department of Technology and Supply Chain Management Studies, Faculty of Business and Management, UiTM Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Ahmad Shahriman Ahamad Tekmezi: Lecturer, Marketing Department, Kolej Professional MARA Seri Iskandar Bandar Baru Seri Iskandar, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 6, 2690-2702

Abstract: Malaysia’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 necessitates transformative changes in its transportation sector, particularly in road freight, which contributes nearly 40% of transport-related CO₂ emissions. This study examines the legal and operational barriers hindering the adoption of sustainable road freight transport in Sabah, where geographical isolation and infrastructural deficits exacerbate reliance on diesel-powered trucks. Despite federal policies like the National Transport Policy (NTP) 2019-2030 and the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB) 2021-2030, Sabah lags in green logistics adoption due to regulatory misalignment, high costs of electric and biodiesel vehicles, and inadequate charging infrastructure. Employing Ecological Modernization Theory (EMT) (Mol & Spaargaren, 2000) as a framework, this research investigates how policy-industry collaboration can overcome these barriers. Through qualitative content analysis of transport policies and semi-structured interviews with 20 stakeholders—including logistics operators, policymakers, and environmental NGOs—the study identifies three critical challenges: (1) policy fragmentation between federal mandates and Sabah’s state-level regulations, such as the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) Act, which lacks incentives for low-emission fleets; (2) economic constraints, with 75% of participants citing high upfront costs of electric trucks (30–50% more expensive than diesel); and (3) infrastructure gaps, including fewer than five heavy-duty charging stations in Sabah and sparse biodiesel refueling hubs. The findings underscore the need for decentralized solutions, such as state-level EV subsidies, public-private partnerships for charging infrastructure, and revised CVLB fee structures to incentivize clean technologies. The study contributes to EMT by demonstrating its applicability in developing logistics markets and proposes actionable reforms to align Sabah’s freight sector with Malaysia’s carbon neutrality goals. Recommendations include adopting models from Thailand’s EV 3.5 Package and California’s Clean Truck Program to accelerate Sabah’s transition. This research provides a replicable framework for similar regions grappling with diesel dependency and fragmented governance in sustainable freight transitions.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ ... ssue-6/2690-2702.pdf (application/pdf)
https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/arti ... -to-green-logistics/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-6:p:2690-2702

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science is currently edited by Dr. Nidhi Malhan

More articles in International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science from International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Dr. Pawan Verma ().