Transportation Minister to Crack Down on Businesses Using ODOL Trucks, Not Just Drivers

KatadataOTO – Lately, fatal accidents involving ODOL trucks (Over Dimension Over Loading) have frequently occurred in Indonesia. Even claiming several lives.

This has prompted the Minister of Transportation (Menhub) to take firm action against the perpetrators.

“In the future, we want it to be not just the owner. But also the driver, the owner (business owner), and the user,” said Dudy Purwagandhi, the Minister of Transportation, as quoted by Antara on Saturday (10/04).

According to Dudy, this is being done to handle the ODOL trucks that are still frequently operating on the roads in the country.

Photo : Korlantas Polri

Furthermore, business actors cannot escape responsibility, including those who use the services of ODOL trucks. Because for Dudy, the driver is only carrying out work orders.

“They can't just wash their hands of it as if everything is solely the driver's responsibility,” Dudy continued.

Dudy then gave an example of a situation where someone who owns goods often chooses a shortcut by only paying for one truck.

Whereas the goods should have been transported using two vehicles to be safe and arrive at the desired destination.

The Minister of Transportation believes that these rogue entrepreneurs are trying to save on their shipping costs. Even though the users of ODOL trucks are aware that this violates the rules.

However, they still force an excessive load into a single vehicle. Thus inviting many risks, such as traffic accidents.

Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation said that the violation above is committed with full awareness of its risks to road safety.

When an ODOL truck operates and carries an excessive load, the potential for accidents like brake failure is very high. Then, legal responsibility should not be borne by the driver alone.

“Basically, if someone knows that what they ordered has criminal or violation consequences, they must be held responsible,” Dudy asserted.

Photo : TrenOto

Dudy then stated that ODOL truck drivers are often in a helpless position due to economic pressure.

Therefore, ODOL violations should not be blamed solely on them, but on all actors involved.

Therefore, the Minister of Transportation has coordinated with the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) to ensure that legal action does not stop with just the ODOL truck drivers, but extends to the owners of the goods and the users of logistics services.