Entrepreneurs Suggest At Trans Sumatra Toll Gates To Detect ODOL Trucks

Trans Sumatra toll road. (Photo: Hutama Karya)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Truck Entrepreneurs Association (Aptrindo), Gemilang Tarigan, admitted that there were many violations committed by users of the Trans Sumatra toll road. In particular, he said, the trucks were overloaded or over dimension over load (ODOL).

Tarigan said the violation had seriously endangered the safety of Trans Sumatra toll road users. Given that generally toll road users often travel at high speeds because of the smooth terrain and traffic that is not yet busy.

Furthermore, he said that these violations could not be separated from the weak supervision by officers in the field.

"Weak lack of supervision (officers). As a result, these trucks operating loads up to twice the load. This is a fact," he said, in a virtual discussion, Wednesday, November 25.

Therefore, Tarigan suggested that the sanctions be imposed electronically for heavy truck drivers who frequently cross the Trans Sumatra toll road. The goal is to close the space for bribery against field officers.

"This is an electronic sanction aimed at avoiding thugs or unscrupulous officers from levies on ODOL. So it is necessary to coordinate the government and related stakeholders for this overloaded truck for the safety of toll users (Trans Sumatra)," he said.

Not only sanctions, Tarigan also asked toll road managers to provide automatic toll gates (GTO) equipped with certain technology to anticipate overloaded trucks.

"So that overloaded trucks can be removed and prosecuted for a deterrent effect," he explained.

Likewise, the President Director of PT Hutama Karya Budi Harto talked about the condition of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road. He explained that there were many challenges in toll road operations in the early days at this time.

Budi said that one of the obstacles in the construction of the Trans Sumatra Toll Road was drivers who had not been able to make adjustments to the presence of this new toll road. Especially the heavy transport truck drivers or ODOL who often break into this freeway.

"The existence of large trucks, the term is ODOL, over dimension over load, this damages toll roads and also threatens the safety of toll users. Because their existence is not standard with the design of this toll road," he said.

However, Budi emphasized that Hutama Karya provided rescue, health and vehicle security facilities on the Trans Sumatra Toll Road.