Minister Of Public Works Admits That He Has Not Been Able To Limit The Movement Of ODOL Trucks, He Is Prohibited From Completely Triggering An Increase In Inflation

Trucks overload or Overdimension and Overload (odol) cross toll roads. (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo admitted that the issue of banning Over Dimension Over Load (ODOL) trucks will be the main discussion across ministries.

Dody said that the ODOL truck issue was not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works.

He added that the ban on ODOL trucks so far is still the main discussion across ministries.

"ODOL, that is, will definitely be the main discussion between the Coordinating Ministry. Actually, the Coordinating Ministry for Economics, right, another point of view, the Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure of points of view is different again. We have to synergize, but we have to find a middle point," said Dody to reporters at his office, Friday, February 21.

According to Dody, the ban on ODOL trucks on national roads and toll roads has not been fully implemented.

This is because prohibiting ODOL trucks can increase inflation and increase logistics costs.

On the other hand, he did not deny that road damage and accidents caused by ODOL trucks often occur.

This makes it difficult for the Ministry of Public Works to maintain roads amidst budget constraints.

"Prohibiting ODOL 100 percent (trucks) may not be in a current condition yet. Yes, because it can increase inflation and so on, we can't. But we can't prohibit it, because budget constraints will make it then our ability to prioritize roads to go down," he said.

He explained that the ban on ODOL trucks on toll roads could still be done because there was already a legal umbrella governing it.

However, prohibiting the obese truck from crossing the national road is still not possible. This is because there are no regulations governing the amount of the load.

"Actually, there is one problem, the toll road has a measuring tool. So, once ODOL enters, it is measured. But on national roads, right, there is none. In the past, we depended on the weight bridge, but now we see that there is almost no weight bridge," said Dody.

"That's why when I was asked about ODOL on national roads, it was a bit difficult for me to answer (because), right, there was no black and white," he concluded.