The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) freight forum has rejected the\nimplementation of the Zero Over Dimension and Overloading (ODOL) policy\nin the province, calling on the central government to grant special\ndiscretion to island regions such as NTT.<\/p>\n
The call was made by Hery Boli, secretary of the NTT Freight Forum,\nduring a hearing with Commission IV of the NTT Regional House of\nRepresentatives (DPRD) in the commission\u2019s meeting room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here because the implementation of regulations on Zero ODOL,\nas stipulated in Law No.\u00a022 of 2009 and Government Regulation No.\u00a030 of\n2021, should take account of the geographical conditions of island\nregions. NTT cannot be treated in the same way as other places,\u201d Hery\nsaid at the hearing, attended by Commission IV members, the NTT Freight\nForum, the Harbourmaster and Port Authority (KSOP), the NTT\nTransportation Agency, ASDP and police on Friday (16 October 2026).<\/p>\n
Hery said the forum supported road safety, but argued that the\nnational rules did not reflect NTT\u2019s circumstances as an archipelagic\nprovince. He said micro, small and medium-sized enterprises account for\n75% of logistics transport operators in NTT.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Zero ODOL rules are implemented with drastic restrictions on\nvehicle dimensions in the short term, our businesses could collapse\nbecause we do not have the capital to replace our fleets with vehicles\nthat meet national standards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hery added that reducing load capacity would drive up logistics\ncosts. Businesses would have to make more trips or add vehicles to\ntransport the same volume of goods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis could trigger increases in fuel costs and drivers\u2019 wages,\nultimately pushing up the prices of essential goods. If truck capacity\nis drastically cut to meet standard requirements, freight operators\u2019\nincome will also fall sharply,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said another problem was the absence of regulations governing\ndelivery charges. Cargo owners demanded low prices while also seeking to\nmaximise loads, leaving freight operators with little bargaining power.\nThe high cost of modifying trucks to meet the rules was an additional\nburden for small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is no standardisation of tariffs to match the restrictions\non loads, freight operators\u2019 income will fall sharply,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The forum also raised concerns about the direct effect of Zero ODOL\non the prices of staple foods in NTT.<\/p>\n
Hery cited the example of rice distribution from Tenau Port in Kupang\nto Rote. Under national ODOL standards, a medium-sized truck would be\nallowed to carry only eight tonnes of rice. Transporting 40 tonnes of\nrice from Java would therefore require five trucks making return\ntrips.<\/p>\n
With a special exemption for island regions, trucks could carry 12\u201315\ntonnes per journey, meaning three vehicles would be enough for 40\ntonnes. This would speed up distribution to inland markets and help keep\nrice supplies stable and affordable by reducing transport costs.<\/p>\n
The NTT Freight Forum has made four proposals. First, it wants the\nNTT provincial government to seek an exemption from the central\ngovernment, given the province\u2019s reliance on road transport and\nferries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf truck capacity is reduced, the cost of hiring space on ships by\nvolume will surge,\u201d Hery said.<\/p>\n
Second, it says tonnage limits should be based on local conditions\nrather than a rigid national standard. Third, it wants delivery charges\nregulated to ensure fair competition and prevent cargo owners from\npushing prices below a viable level. Fourth, it is urging ASDP to add\nvessels and crossing routes, which serve as a backbone for logistics in\ndisadvantaged, frontier and outermost regions (3T).<\/p>\n
Hery noted that enforcement of the Zero ODOL policy is planned to\nbegin nationwide on 1 January 2027 and remains in the socialisation\nphase. However, some officers from the Harbourmaster and Port\nAuthority\u2019s office have already begun enforcement action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask the NTT DPRD to urge the head of the KSOP and ASDP to\nintroduce a policy during this transition period,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
NTT DPRD urges Transport Ministry to review\nrules<\/strong><\/p>\n Ana Waha Kolin, who chaired the hearing, also urged the Ministry of\nTransportation to review the Zero ODOL regulations, which she said were\nunsuitable for island regions such as NTT.<\/p>\n She said the request was among the hearing\u2019s recommendations. \u201cThe\nfirst recommendation from the DPRD is that all stakeholders involved in\ntransport should jointly make a special visit to the ministry and\nCommission IV of the national DPR,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said regulations considered unsuitable for NTT should be reviewed\nbecause the province\u2019s geography is defined by its archipelagic\ncharacter.<\/p>\n \u201cNTT is spread across the sea, so regulations from the centre cannot\nbe applied here in the same detailed way as in provinces that form a\nsingle landmass,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n NTT has 566 islands separated by sea and is heavily reliant on\nmaritime transport and ferry crossings, she said, adding that this\ngeography should be considered by the Transport Ministry.<\/p>\n The DPRD said the ODOL issue was not merely a matter of traffic\nregulation, but one that affected the livelihoods and broader economy of\nthe people of NTT.<\/p>\n \u201cThis concerns the movement of NTT\u2019s economy and cannot be left\nunaddressed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The DPRD warned that enforcing Zero ODOL nationwide from 1 January\n2027 without a special exemption for NTT could sharply increase\nlogistics costs and the prices of essential goods, with knock-on effects\non regional inflation.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the kinds of issues causing concern among the public,\nparticularly freight operators, and affecting efforts to build NTT\u2019s\neconomy,\u201d she said.<\/p>",
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