Gov’t suspends anti-overloading policy anew

MANILA, Philippines - The government has suspended for another six months the implementation of an anti-overloading policy covering certain types of trucks and trailers.

In a joint advisory, the Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Transportation  and Communications (DOTC) deferred the implementation of Republic Act 8794 to Jan. 31, 2015 instead of Aug. 1 this year.

RA 8794 imposes a motor vehicle user’s charge on owners of all types of vehicles.

The government said the suspension was in response to a request by truckers who asked for more time to allow them to acquire new transport equipment to conform to the new gross vehicle weight (GVW) for haulers.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson and DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya signed the advisory.

The law was passed in 2000 but its implementation has been deferred several times.

Categorized under code 12-2 are semi-trailer trucks with three axles at the motor vehicle and two axles at the trailer or the 18-wheeler.

Code 12-3 includes semi-trailer trucks with three axles each at the motor vehicle and at the trailer or the 22-wheeler.

Codes 12-2 and 12-3 have a maximum allowable GVW of 41,500 and 42,000 kilograms, respectively, as prescribed under the revised guidelines of the anti-overloading law.

The government intends to enforce an axle load limit of 13,500 kilograms nationwide, as overloading causes damage on highways and traffic operations.

Overloaded trucks and vehicles have been blamed for the damage and deterioration of roads and highways.

The DPWH and DOTC, together with the Land Transportation Office and the Philippine National Police, use weighbridge stations and portable weighing machines to apprehend overloaded vehicles. – Lawrence Agcaoili, Evelyn Macairan