TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Calls grow for more oversight of trucking sector following pileup
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A survivor removes his belongings from a wrecked car on Nov. 11, 2024, at the Jatiluhur Toll Road Highway Police station in Purwakarta regency, West Java. A pileup occurred on the Cipularang toll road in the regency on the afternoon of Nov. 11 involving 17 vehicles, resulting in one death and 29 injured people as of Nov. 12. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
A
massive collision involving an overloaded truck and at least 17 other vehicles on the Cipularang toll road in Purwakarta, West Java, has sparked fresh calls for stronger government oversight over the country’s logistics and land transportation sectors.
The fatal accident, which took place at kilometer 92 of the toll road on Monday afternoon, was reportedly triggered by a truck that was heavily loaded with cardboard losing control while descending a steep slope.
Video clips circulated on social media showed that the truck was driving at a high speed in the right lane, which is not designated for vehicles carrying heavy goods, before crashing into a line of cars that were moving slowly because of traffic congestion.
As of Tuesday morning, the total number of victims reached 30, consisting of 25 people who were slightly injured, four who were severely injured and one fatality.
While authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the crash, transportation expert Djoko Setijowarno said that crashes will continue to occur unless President Prabowo’s new administration manages to better regulate the country’s transportation and logistics sector.
“The main problem is that [safety and operational] protocols within the sector are all over the place,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. “There are illegal levies everywhere and [business owners] are trying to slash their prices at the cost of vehicle maintenance and driver welfare.”
Read also: Fatal truck accidents highlight poor driver working conditions
