KUDUS - Hundreds of truck drivers in Kudus Regency staged a demonstration at the local transportation office against the policy regarding the prohibition of over-dimensional and overloading (ODOL) trucks. This policy will eliminate the livelihood of the drivers.
In the action, as reported by Antara, the truck driver also brought his vehicle with posters affixed with refusal and complaints about the normalization of ODOL so that they filled the yard of the Kudus, Central Java Transportation Agency and Jalan HM Subchan ZE.
The unfurled poster reads 'We are civilized businessmen & truckers not barbaric businessmen & truckers.'
"We hope that the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) will review the implementation of the ODOL normalization because many truck drivers will lose their livelihoods when the regulation is enforced," said the General Chairperson of the Suroso National Drivers Alliance accompanied by lawyer Slamet Riyadi during an audience with the Head of the Transportation Agency of Kudus Regency, Catur. Sulistiyanto in the hall of the Kudus Dishub Office.
He ensures that not all drivers are able to repair the dimensions of their trucks because so far they have been burdened with installments for paying off the purchase of trucks and vehicle operational costs, plus the cost of repairing the dimensions of the vehicle.
In addition, he sees the need for the government to be involved in the preparation of standardization of tariffs for shipping services because so far there is none so that users of goods delivery services want to get cheap rates.
He reminded that in drafting the rules, it is better to involve the grassroots community, especially truck drivers who are aware of the problems in the field. So far, only the Land Transport Organization (Organda) as the entrepreneur has been spoken to.
Muh Ali Ikhsan, a truck driver, revealed that almost all trucks in transporting goods have an excess because so far the rates are relatively cheap. For operational costs, the load capacity must also be adjusted.
"Even if the government enforces the normalization of ODOL so that there must be an improvement in the dimensions of the vehicle so that it is in accordance with the provisions, there will be a spike in prices for various community needs due to the high tariffs for goods transportation services," he said.
He gave an example of the tariff for transporting 8 cubic meters of sand so far, only around Rp. 2.5 million. However, with the new regulations that force each truck to repair the dimensions of its vehicle, the tariff for transporting sand becomes more expensive because it can reach IDR 5 million to transport 8 cubic feet of sand.
In front of hundreds of truck drivers, the Head of the Kudus Dishub, Catur Sulistiyanto, promised to convey the aspirations of the truck drivers to the Ministry of Transportation, considering that the regulations came from the central government.
"We invite you to make a letter of objection regarding the zero ODOL rule and the desired solution, including the desired tariff for transportation services, so that later I can submit it directly to Jakarta next week," he said.
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