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THE Federation of Malaysia Freight Forwarders (FMFF) has proposed that the Transport Ministry control the number of players in the market and make the registration of freight forwarders mandatory in order to weed out fly-by-night operators.

Selangor Freight Forwarders & Logistics Association (SFFLA) vice-president Chan Kong Yew said the freight forwarding industry is currently not regulated by any government body.

"The government should recognise the linkage between regulation, accreditation regimes, industry performances and quality standards," he told Business Times in an interview.

"On our part, FMFF is developing a framework where local freight forwarders can be regulated and benchmarked against international standards in terms of paid-up capital, operational capability, financial strength, ethical conduct, professional capacity and experience," he added.

FMFF also plans to upgrade the professionalism of the logistics industry through education and training.

"We recognise the importance of training and upgrading the skills of our members and employees, and have divided them into three focus groups," said FMFF president Alvin Chua Seng Wah.

Chua is also the newly-appointed president of SFFLA, following the demise of former president Abel Tan Ah Beng last month.

"The first group will comprise operational staff, who will undergo practical and vocational training, while the second group will focus on enhancing the knowledge of clerical and supervisory employees through a series of short courses.

"The third group will encompass executive staff, who can participate in the federation's foundation and certificate courses," he said.

In this regard, FMFF is working closely with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (Fiata) in developing a series of logistics courses from foundation level to certificate, and eventually leading to a diploma in accordance with Fiata's syllabus, which is recognised by the world logistics industry.

"We are planning to introduce the diploma programme in Multimodal Transport Operation by the end of this year," Chua said, adding that FMFF is in discussions with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman to enter into a collaboration to offer the diploma course.