Blamed Drivers, State Ignores Root of ODOL Truck Problem

The Legal Aid Institute of the Central Leadership Council (DPP) of the Confederation of Indonesian Muslim Trade Unions (Sarbumusi) assessed that the government has failed to address the root of the Over Dimension Over Loading (ODOL) problem by cornering truck drivers as the most blamed party.

LBH Sarbumusi said that this approach only makes drivers the scapegoat and ignores the complexity of the national logistics system which is structural in nature. The Coordinator of the Study Department of LBH Sarbumusi, Brahma Aryana, assessed that the ODOL problem is a reflection of the complexity of the national logistics system which is structural in nature and is rooted in the inequality of industrial relations and weak state regulations.

"This policy has caused an uproar because the government's response has actually cornered truck drivers, even though they are victims of exploitation and criminalization in the logistics chain," he said in a written statement on Friday (6/27/2025).

According to Brahma, the government claims that losses due to ODOL trucks reach IDR 43 trillion per year and contribute to 10.5 percent of national traffic accidents. However, Sarbumusi considers the approach that blames the drivers to be a misleading simplification. The truck driver protests that took place from 19 to 23 June 2025 in several big cities such as Semarang, Surabaya, and Bandung were said to be a reaction to systemic injustice. Banners reading "Drivers Are Not Criminals" became a symbol of resistance against the stigma attached to them by the state.

Brahma revealed that there are at least four main factors causing the rampant practice of ODOL. First, economic pressure and very low wages. The average driver's income is only around IDR 1.5 to IDR 2.5 million per month, far from adequate when compared to the high work risks. Freight transport rates are also not regulated by the state, as stated in Article 184 of Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Traffic and Road Transportation, which sets rates based on an agreement between service users and operators. Unlike public transportation whose rates are determined by the state, this causes a tariff war and narrows the living space of drivers.

Second, fleet limitations that encourage companies to modify vehicles illegally. Many drivers are forced to drive trucks that are already over-dimensioned since leaving the factory without having the power to refuse. Third, unequal law enforcement. Drivers are the ones who are most often the victims of criminalization, while owners of goods and large logistics operators often escape the law.

"Some regional police have even postponed criminal action against ODOL due to strong protests from drivers," said Brahma. Fourth, minimal job protection. Extortion and thuggery on the road are rampant without firm handling by the authorities, worsening the burden that drivers must bear. The absence of social security or legal protection adds to this inequality. Brahma emphasized that the ODOL problem is not just a matter of traffic violations, but a critical point of the state's failure to build a fair and efficient logistics system.

"ODOL is a call to reform the national logistics system. It is not a matter of the driver's will, but rather the result of damaged governance," said Brahma.

The government's plan to issue a Presidential Regulation and Joint Decree between ministries was welcomed as a positive step, but was considered insufficient to touch on the substance of the problem. As long as the media and law enforcement framing still places drivers as the sole perpetrators, structural injustice will continue to recur. In the near future, truck driver protests are planned to be held again in Jakarta as a form of objection to the repressive approach that does not touch the dominant actors. This action is also said to have begun to have an impact on the distribution of logistics and prices of basic necessities in several areas.

"The government must stop making drivers the scapegoat. Without a structural solution, Zero ODOL will only be an empty slogan and deepen social inequality," he concluded.