ODOL Truck Suppression By Ministry Of Transportation Ineffective, Police Asked To Intervene

JAKARTA - Transportation observer from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Djoko Setijowarno assesses that the eradication of illegal trucks categorized as over dimension overloading (ODOL) by the Directorate General of Land Transportation (Ditjenhubdat) of the Ministry of Transportation is not effective.

"So far, the Directorate General of Transportation and Customs has tried to take action against the practice of ODOL trucks, but has not shown significant results. For this reason, the Police need to take law enforcement efforts on the highway because it must be acknowledged that law enforcement on the road is still very weak," he said in a written statement to VOI, Wednesday, June 23.

According to Djoko, in the current pandemic conditions, the Traffic Police tend not to ticket ODOL trucks. This is then referred to as chronic neglect so that trucks with excessive loads and dimensions that do not fit are considered normal.

“Police should also support law enforcement because this is their authority. If law enforcement is intensively carried out, surely ODOL trucks and extortion (illegal levies) will definitely decrease and end," he said.

Djoko then questioned the Precision Program promoted by the National Police Chief General of Police Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

“Is it possible to eradicate extortion and ODOL trucks on the highway? Or, on the other hand, increase the fertility of the practice?” he said.

Moreover, he said, there has been a mutual agreement between the Directorate General of Transportation, Ministry of Transportation, the Directorate General of Highways of the Ministry of PUPR, the National Police, and the Toll Road Management Agency (BPJT) to declare free ODOL trucks on the highway in 2023.

Furthermore, Djoko said that there were a number of unscrupulous truck drivers who had threatened the safety of officers managing traffic on the road because they did not want to enter the vehicle weighing facility or weighbridge.

Then, there is also the practice of collusion between unscrupulous drivers and unscrupulous entrepreneurs who own goods to carry more cargo without the owner of the goods vehicle knowing.

"In the future, it is necessary to develop digital mechanisms to facilitate monitoring and also ensure that the implementation of the rules is carried out properly," he concluded.