Overloaded Trucks Still Rampant, Causing 'Horror' Effects on Toll Roads

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Ministry of Public Works (PU) has highlighted the rampant presence of over-dimension and overload (ODOL) trucks as a primary cause of the recent decline in toll road quality. These vehicles, which exceed permitted size and weight limits, are accelerating road damage while increasing safety risks on toll roads.

Head of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT), Ni Komang Rasminiati, revealed that the number of ODOL vehicles using toll roads remains high. On the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road managed by PT Hutama Karya (Persero), for instance, an average of 35,498 ODOL vehicles were recorded per day throughout 2025.

Meanwhile, on toll roads managed by PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk. (JSMR), the number of ODOL vehicles recorded was around 3,342 per day.

‘The level of ODOL violations on toll roads has reached an alarming level. On toll road sections managed by Jasa Marga, the average violation rate reaches 17.62% of non-passenger vehicles using the toll road. Meanwhile, for the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road managed by PT Hutama Karya, the figure is even higher, reaching 21.29%,’ Ni Komang stated during a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission V at the parliament complex in Jakarta on Thursday (9/7/2026).

Komang explained that the impact of ODOL vehicles extends beyond pavement damage. The presence of these trucks also triggers other issues, ranging from longer travel times due to queues and congestion, to soaring maintenance costs and an increased fatality rate in traffic accidents.

‘Overloading violations have a very significant impact on premature road pavement damage, which results in increased preservation costs and reduced vehicle speeds, as well as an increased risk of accidents with higher fatality rates, plus air pollution and emissions,’ she detailed.

Therefore, she argued, the handling of ODOL vehicles must be carried out immediately to maintain the safety of road users while preserving the service quality of toll road infrastructure.

‘Controlling ODOL vehicles is a crucial issue that must be a shared concern. This effort is very important to maintain the service life of toll road infrastructure,’ she concluded.