Truck Accidents Blamed on Systemic Failure, Not Just Driver Error

The series of freight truck accidents in Indonesia can no longer be viewed merely as driver error, according to Djoko Setijowarno, an academic from the Civil Engineering programme at Soegijapranata Catholic University and an advisor to the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI). He argues the root cause is a fundamental failure in the national freight transport safety management and supervision system. “The narrative of brake failure, tyre blowouts, or human error always surfaces after every truck accident. However, the main issue is a weak safety system. Public safety is being sacrificed in the pursuit of logistics efficiency,” Djoko told Media Indonesia on Thursday. He identified the practice of over dimension over loading (ODOL) as a primary problem. Overloaded trucks not only increase the risk of multi-vehicle collisions but also accelerate road infrastructure damage. “As long as ODOL is tolerated, the public continues to bear the cost of safety risks and infrastructure damage for the profit of a few business actors,” he stated. Djoko emphasised that blaming the driver is a misguided view, as drivers are at the bottom of the logistics chain and are often forced to operate unroadworthy vehicles or work beyond their physical limits. He urged that accountability must extend to transport companies and cargo owners who allow such practices. To resolve this, he pushed the government to tighten supervision using digital technology and to massively shift national logistics distribution to safer modes such as freight trains and sea tolls. “If safety continues to be placed below short-term economic interests, freight truck accidents will keep recurring. What is needed now is not more regulations, but the courage to enforce the law up to the corporate level,” he concluded.