Jokowi Asked To Step In And Issue The Issue Of The Problem Of The ODOL Truck Cause Of Accident

Illustration. A number of trucks of various types were parked when the driver rallied on Jalan A Yani, Surabaya, East Java, Tuesday, February 22, 2022. (Antara-Didik Suhartono)

JAKARTA - Transportation observer from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Djoko Setijowarno revealed that more and more over-dimensional and overload (ODOL) vehicles are milling about on the highway.

Djoko views that President Joko Widodo must step in to resolve the issue of the existence of ODOL or transportation that violates this dimension and content. According to him, the President can intervene by issuing presidential instructions (inpres).

"The Presidential Instruction is needed to resolve the problem of ODOL transportation," said Djoko in a written statement, Monday, December 19.

According to him, it is necessary for the President to help resolve the ODOL problem even though the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) will completely prohibit ODOL transportation in early 2023.

"Because this cannot be resolved at the Ministry of Transportation," he added.

Djoko considers that improvements in ODOL transportation must be carried out starting from upstream to downstream, and there is a comprehensive and consistent implementation policy.

This is because the existence of ODOL transportation, which benefits this group of entrepreneurs, clearly violates the rules. The problem is, entrepreneurs are not too serious about revamping the overloaded transportation.

"Even every time a policy is implemented, (entrepreneurs) always spread terror to the public on the grounds that the price of goods will increase, inflation will occur, drivers will demo and so on. Even though conditions on the ground are not like that," he said.

Based on data from the Traffic Corps (Korlantas) of the National Police in 2022, ODOL vehicles have caused 349 accidents in the last five years. In detail, 107 cases in 2017; 82 cases in 2018; 90 cases in 2019; 20 cases in 2020; and 50 cases in 2021.

In fact, Djoko continued, ODOL truck drivers also do not want to carry excessive goods because it will be risky to themselves. If a collision occurs, the driver is alive and must be made a suspect. If he dies, the company that owns goods will often not want to be responsible.

"The sensitivity of entrepreneurs, both goods owners, and truck owners to safety is very low. Safety protection for drivers and their families is minimal," he said.