Truck Drivers are Marginalized but Necessary Humans
Truck drivers are marginalized, but necessary human beings. Because truck drivers are the spearhead of logistics, while logistics are the main key to sustaining business and also nation building. Truck drivers often get negative assessments from causing traffic jams to causing damaged roads. Yet there is a great merit of their sacrifice. Truck drivers also bear the brunt of a faulty logistics system. The responsibility of the owner of the goods falls on the truck driver. Yes, the biggest pressure is on truck drivers because they are dealing directly with real conditions on the ground.
ODOL (Over Dimension Over Loading) Truck Driver
Not to mention that every time there is a traffic accident due to ODOL, the truck driver is always a suspect. Owners of goods that force overload always escape the snares of the law. To be honest, ODOL is difficult to eradicate, ODOL trucks are booming because the freight rates are getting lower, because the goods owners don't want their profits to decrease. The truck driver is always the one who is burdened with the ODOL problem, even though the truck driver only runs it.
So the party responsible for the ODOL or overloaded truck loads should be entrepreneurs, both transport entrepreneurs and goods owners. The owner of this item can be a company or an individual. However, I also often meet, in fact, transportation entrepreneurs don't want to carry overloaded cargo, but the entrepreneur or the owner of the goods is also adamant that they don't want to change the DO. So they, the owner of the goods, are the main cause of overloaded loads. They succeeded in suppressing the truckers by complaining about the price.
For example, the tariff for transporting goods per kilogram from Central Java to Jakarta is Rp. 300 per kg and the goods transported are 20 tons for tronton trucks. Then the costs incurred are Rp. 300 x 20,000 = Rp. 6 million. If the truck entrepreneur asks to transport only 10 tons, with the same cost, then Rp 300 x 10,000 = Rp 3 million. Transport entrepreneurs are certainly at a loss. If in the end the truck entrepreneur still asks for Rp. 6 million for 10 tons, of course, the shipping price per kilogram is now Rp. 600. This price will of course be billed to the owner of the goods. In fact, many owners of goods are not ready to pay a hike in transportation rates because it will result in an increase in the price of goods and choose to overtonage and inevitably transport entrepreneurs receive overload to cover operational costs, because if it is below 6 million it will not cover operations.
What About Truck Drivers in Europe?
Then what about truck drivers in developed countries like Europe? I myself don't know for sure how the trucking world is in Europe, but if we look at the Youtube channel that discusses trucks and logistics in Europe, truck drivers only check the oil and tires apart from driving of course. Moreover, it is rare for a flat or broken tire to occur, because the standard load is still within the tire's load index limit.
If the truck is suspected of carrying overload, the driver will not be harmed, but the manifest carrier must be held accountable. Or the Police will invite a representative from the factory to attend the weighing to be held accountable. If there is a case that the tonnage is not in accordance with the manifest, the truck driver is asked to rest, then the police call the owner of the goods to take responsibility. While the driver is waiting, the meter continues because the Standard Trading Conditions are running well. The truck driver's waiting time will be compensated by the owner of the goods.