Abandoned Vehicle Removal: Penang Deploys Multi-Purpose Loader with Crane

April 10, 2025 – In a move that has sparked interest beyond Malaysia, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has turned to a specialized piece of equipment to solve a persistent urban headache: abandoned vehicles. The council is now deploying a Multi-Purpose Loader with Crane — a hybrid of a forklift and a tow truck — to lift and remove cars that have been stripped of tires or left in conditions that make conventional towing impossible.

The machinery, acquired by the council in 2022, was originally designed for heavy lifting tasks in construction and industrial settings. But MBPP repurposed it for municipal enforcement after discovering that many abandoned vehicles — especially those without tires or with severely damaged undercarriages — could not be safely moved using standard tow trucks. The loader uses a hydraulic crane to grip the vehicle from above, hoist it onto its own bed, and transport it to a holding lot.

“Traditional towing often damages the road surface or the vehicle itself, creating liability issues,” said MBPP Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran in an interview referenced by local media. “This machine allows us to remove end-of-life vehicles cleanly and efficiently, and it reduces the risk of injury to our workers.”

The equipment gained viral attention after a social media user posted a 3-minute-28-second video showing the loader lifting a car from a parking area onto itself and driving away. The clip, which has been shared thousands of times, shows the machine easily maneuvering around tight parking spots — an advantage over larger tow trucks.

While the MBPP does not routinely use the loader for routine illegal parking or traffic obstruction cases — it has a separate fleet of enforcement vehicles for those tasks — the machine has become a critical tool for handling the backlog of abandoned vehicles that clog public parking spaces. Rajendran noted that the loader can also be used for other municipal heavy lifting, such as moving concrete barriers.

A potential model for U.S. cities?

The Penang approach offers a case study for American municipalities grappling with similar issues. According to a 2023 report by the National League of Cities, abandoned vehicles are a top quality-of-life complaint in cities like Baltimore, Detroit, and Los Angeles, where thousands of cars are left on streets each year. Removing them often requires coordination between police, sanitation, and private contractors — and standard tow trucks frequently cannot handle vehicles that have been stripped or are in hard-to-reach locations.

“What Penang is doing is not new to the U.S. — some cities have experimented with skid-steer loaders or flatbed tow trucks with integrated cranes,” said Dr. Emily Torres, an urban infrastructure researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. “But the idea of dedicating a specialized multi-purpose loader specifically for this task is clever. It maximizes the use of one machine for both enforcement and other maintenance work.”

Unlike America’s fragmented approach — where abandoned vehicles are often left for weeks due to bureaucratic red tape — Penang’s municipal enforcement has a direct mandate to clear public parking spaces. The council says it aims to remove reported abandoned vehicles within 48 hours. The Multi-Purpose Loader plays a key role in meeting that timeline.

How the machine works

The loader is equipped with a telescopic boom and a hydraulic clamp that can rotate 360 degrees. Operators can position the clamp around the vehicle’s roof or chassis without damaging the car’s structure — a key difference from traditional tow trucks that hook onto axles or frames, which can snap on rusted cars. Once clamped, the machine lifts the vehicle, tilts it onto its own loading deck, and secures it with straps for transport.

The operator controls the machine from a cab with 360-degree visibility, reducing the risk of collisions with nearby cars or pedestrians. The loader’s compact design allows it to operate in narrow parking lots where a standard tow truck might not fit.

Public reaction and future plans

The viral video has drawn mostly positive comments from Malaysian social media users, who praised MBPP for being proactive. Some criticized the earlier policy of leaving abandoned cars for months, but acknowledged that the new machinery represents progress.

Rajendran stated that the council will continue to use the loader as needed, and may consider acquiring additional units if demand increases. He also hinted at exploring partnerships with private scrapyards to recycle the removed vehicles, turning an enforcement cost into a potential revenue stream.

For cities in the U.S. that are looking for cost-effective solutions, Penang’s approach may serve as a pilot worth watching. As Dr. Torres put it: “Sometimes the best ideas come from halfway around the world. If a Malaysian city can solve this with one machine, it’s worth asking why we haven’t tried the same.”

The MBPP encourages residents to report abandoned vehicles via its official app or hotline. The city also plans to publish a public dashboard showing removal activities, similar to its existing waste collection tracker.

Reporting contributed by local sources and international urban policy analysis.