Legal Literacy - Truck driver protests in various Indonesian cities highlight legal disparities in ODOL policies. This article examines the drivers' demands, structural defects in traffic law, and reform solutions to make the law fairer for road workers.

In recent weeks, major roads in Indonesia have become the stage for protests by groups that have been marginalized in the national logistics chain: truck drivers. Simultaneous actions in various cities such as Bandung, Surabaya, Bekasi, and Palembang are not merely spontaneous demonstrations, but rather resistance against state policies that fail to understand the structural roots of traffic violations.

Zero ODOL Policy (Over Dimension Over Loading) which is implemented rigidly and repressively reveals flaws in our legal system—where road workers are criminalized, while dominant actors such as logistics companies and cargo owners remain untouched by the law.

ODOL Policy and Juridical Inequality

Normatively, the ODOL policy refers to:

  • Article 277 of Law No. 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation (LLAJ) which threatens a 1-year prison sentence or a fine of Rp24 million for vehicle dimension violations.

  • Article 307 of the LLAJ Law which regulates sanctions for overloading with a 2-month imprisonment or a fine of Rp500,000.