Heavy trucks get reprieve from new rule
TRUCKERS and haulers have until July 31 to upgrade their transport equipment to conform with the prescribed maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) under the amended implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 8794, the law imposing a user’s charge on all types of motor vehicles.
The directive was issued by the Department of PublicWorks andHighways (DPWH) as it suspended anew the apprehension of overloaded trucks and trailers not just in Metro Manila but in the entire country.
In a statement, theDPWHyesterday said the agency and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) had “granted the request of stakeholders to defer the Feb. 1, 2014, implementation of the maximum GVW for trucks and trailers that fall under category codes 12-2 and 12-3, respectively.”
“The extended suspension until July 31 is more than enough time for haulers and truckers to upgrade their transport fleets to conform with the latestGVW,” theDPWHsaid.
From June 1, 2013, the department had moved the implementation of the maximum GVWfor trucks and trailers to Feb. 1 this year.
Travel prohibitions
The DPWH and DOTC earlier modified the implementing rules and regulations of RA 8794 after consultations with groups of haulers and truckers.
Under RA 8794, trucks and trailers under Code 12-2 and Code 12-3 with loads exceeding GVWs of 41,500 kilograms and 42,000 kg, respectively, and load per axle of more than 13,500 kg are prohibited from traveling as they are considered overloaded.
“An amount equivalent to 25 percent of the motor vehicle user’s charge (or registration fee) is imposed by the Land Transportation Office on overloaded trucks and trailers,” theDPWHsaid.
PublicWorks Secretary Rogelio Singson has repeatedly warned that the country’s road network is “severely damaged due to truck overloading,” noting that “the premature deterioration of pavements squander the valuable public funds that could have been invested by the government in other worthy projects.”
Appealing to their sense of social responsibility, Singson urged the business community anew to abide by the administration’s antitruck overloading policy.
High risk of death
Singson said the government was “not after the collection of fines as the amount equivalent to 25 percent of registration fees for loading beyond the prescribed GVW is not enough to repair the damage to highways and bridges, but the high risk of death and serious injuries for road users and the general public due to overloading.”
He called on businesses to avoid using truck operators who refuse to correct their truck configurations in transporting their goods.
In a related development, the DPWHoffice in Metro Manila said the road repair work on Edsa duringweekends would continue.
It explained that “the agency, in coordination with theMetro Manila Development Authority, is implementing road repair work on weekends when Edsa is less busy, given the smaller volume of commuters and motorists on these days.”
DPWH Regional Director Reynaldo Tagudando asked for the public’s “continued understanding for this temporary inconvenience of traffic slowdowns in the repair areas in the cities of Makati, Mandaluyong and Caloocan.”
“These are needed repairs which will result in both longer road performance and improved movement of vehicles,” he said. February 25, 2014 - Tuesday 7thWeek in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 3 Ps 55:7-8-9-10a, 10b-11a, 23 Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you. 1st Reading: Jas 4:1-10