After the Driver Died, the DKI Provincial Government Evaluated the Transport System and Health Screening of Garbage Trucks

Health examination of a driver of a garbage truck for the DKI Provincial Government (DKI Provincial Government Public Relations)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has started to carry out mass health screening for garbage truck drivers of the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service.

This step follows the death of a garbage truck driver who was allegedly exhausted while queuing for garbage to be loaded into the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Treatment Plant (TPST) some time ago.

The examination is focused on early detection of health risks that drivers often face, especially those who have long working hours and high travel intensity to Bantargebang TPST.

The Special Staff for Social Communication of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Chico Hakim, said this policy was a preventive response to the incident and a follow-up to the direction of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Pramono Anung.

"As a form of commitment from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government in maintaining the safety and welfare of sanitation workers, especially garbage truck drivers, in line with the direction of Governor Pramono Anung, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has started a mass health screening program at the Bantargebang TPST," said Chico in his statement, Tuesday, December 23.

Health screening includes basic physical examinations, such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, heart conditions, and general fitness evaluations. This examination targets hundreds of drivers from various administrative areas in Jakarta, with priority given to drivers who regularly transport garbage to Bantargebang.

"The goal is to detect early the potential health risks that drivers may experience due to long working hours and traffic conditions around the Bantargebang TPST," he said.

In addition to health checks, the DKI Provincial Government is also evaluating the waste transportation system in a comprehensive manner. The evaluation includes rearranging the transport schedule to reduce truck queues in the Bantargebang TPST area.

He added that attention to driver safety is part of efforts to maintain the sustainability of sanitation services in Jakarta.

"Governor Pramono Anung appreciates the dedication of sanitation workers who have worked hard to maintain the cleanliness of the capital, and this program is a concrete step to protect them," said Chico.

"We invite all parties, including private partners and the community, to support this effort to create a safer and healthier working environment," he continued.

As previously reported, a garbage truck driver named Wahyudi from the South Jakarta LH Sub-Directorate was reported to have died after queuing for too long to unload the garbage load to the Bantar Gebang TPST on Friday, December 5, 2025. Wahyudi was also known to have a history of heart disease.

Based on information from the driver's colleagues, the cargo unloading queue at Bantargebang can last a very long time, even up to 20 hours. The long queue process is suspected to be the cause of fatigue that resulted in the driver's death.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Environment Service Asep Kuswanto admitted that the rainy condition could be an operational disruption at the Bantargebang TPST. This resulted in the working time of the garbage truck drivers who transported garbage from Jakarta to Bantargebang getting more delayed.

"Every time it rains heavily, we have to stop the disposal temporarily for the safety of workers. The increasingly higher landfill conditions carry risks that we cannot ignore," Asep told reporters, Wednesday, December 10.

In normal situations, the waiting time for trucks in Bantargebang is in the range of three hours. However, the queue has increased drastically to six to eight hours in recent days.

After the rain stopped, officers needed additional time to rearrange the dumping point so that it could be used safely again. This is what hinders the smooth operation of management at TPST Bantargebang.

In addition, the work pressure increased because the path to the disposal site was submerged in water. This puddle was triggered by a landslide at the Sumur Batu landfill owned by the Bekasi City Government which closed the flow of Kali Asem so that truck mobility was disrupted.

"These conditions are what have made the truck queue lengthen in recent days," said Asep.