Subsidised Diesel Scarce, Trucks Queue for Hours at Sidoarjo Petrol Stations

A shortage of subsidised Bio Solar diesel has triggered severe traffic congestion on the Surabaya-Mojokerto provincial route, specifically in the Krian to Balongbendo area of Sidoarjo Regency, on Monday evening (22/06).

Hundreds of trucks and large vehicles have formed long queues, encroaching upon parts of the road as they wait for hours at several petrol stations (SPBU). This situation has caused a significant slowdown in traffic flow along this vital logistics route, particularly during the evening rush hour.

According to truck drivers, the scarcity of Bio Solar has been widespread across Sidoarjo and surrounding areas over the past few kilometres. Consequently, the distribution of goods has been hindered.

“I am heading to Solo and have been queuing since 12:30 pm. I checked via WhatsApp with a colleague at the Kertosono petrol station, and it turns out the situation is the same there; there are stock issues,” said Pepi, an inter-provincial truck driver, on Monday.

Fajar, a driver on the Tuban-Sidoarjo route, expressed similar sentiments. He admitted to wasting more than four hours on the road simply queuing for fuel to ensure he could return to the garage.

To meet delivery targets, some drivers have been forced to spend more on non-subsidised diesel (such as Dexlite or Pertamina Dex) to continue their journeys.

As of this report, there has been no official statement from Pertamina or local petrol station management regarding the cause of the renewed Bio Solar supply shortage in the Sidoarjo region. Management at the affected petrol stations also declined to comment when approached by the media.

While no casualties were reported in relation to the traffic congestion, material losses are estimated to reach hundreds of millions of rupiah.