08 Jul Regulating Overcapacity

Photo: Ministry of Transportation doc

The government will deal with trucks or freight vehicles towing overcapacity. This will be done to reduce and prevent the occurrence of road damage, traffic accidents, and bridge damage due to over-dimension and overloading (ODOL).

Declaration and commitment of “Zero Overdimensi dan Overloading” transport was held by the Ministry of Transportation on July 3, 2018. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Attorney General, Supreme Court, Chief of Traffic Police Corps, Gaikindo, DPP Organda, Aptrindo, Askarindo and Fertilizer Association.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi on the occasion revealed there were complaints from many parties about trucks or freights that exceeded the load capacity which ultimately hampered the traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly enforce the existing regulations. In overseeing the implementation of the regulations, as many as 43 Implementation Units of Vehicle Weighing  (UPPKB) will be activated this year and portable weighbridges will be placed on toll roads.

On a separate occasion, Director General of Land Transportation Budi Setiyadi stated that starting from August 1, 2018 three weigh stations will be acting as the “pilot projects” for the implementation. The three are UPPKB Losarang Indramayu, West Java, UPPKB Balonggandu Karawang, West Java, and UPPKB Widang Tuban, East Java.

Various parties welcomed the policy, but warned of the possible outcomes. The cost of logistics can be more expensive as more vehicles are needed to move freight. The policy of installing a portable weighbridge at the toll gate can add to the congestion there.

According to data from the Ministry of PUPR, the cost of repairing road damage due to cargo limit violation reached Rp 43 trillion last year, while the budget allocated was only Rp 26 trillion.