Truckers Set to Strike Again Over Regulations

Some 400 member of the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations staged a strike February 9 blocking the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) resulting in a massive traffic jam from the Balintawak toll way up to Malinta, Valenzuela.  They are set to strike again after the government refused to issue a moratorium on overloading regulations at the NLEX. 

BY JHONG DE LA CRUZ
Bulatlat

The Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations (ACTOO), an organization of truckers,  vowed to stage more protest actions ranging from slowdown to work stoppage following the government’s refusal to grant their demand.

This, after government officials had sought a dialogue last Wednesday February 15 at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to hear their grievances on the implemented no overloading regulation at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

In the said dialogue between the ACTOO, the  Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) which runs the NLEX, and Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the government has put in place a technical committee to conduct study and formulate plans to mitigate the impact of the load limit policy being implemented at the expense of the truckers.

The body will be led by representatives from the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) which runs the NLEX, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Alliance of Concerned Truckers Owners and Organizations (ACTOO).

MNTC, 70-percent owned by the Lopez group’s First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corp., officially took-over the operations of the 83.5-km highway from the Philippine National Construction Corp. last year. Two other shareholders of MNTC are Egis Trans and Leighton Asia Ltd.

The ACTOO is complaining over the implementation by MNTC of Republic Act 8794 or the “Act Imposing A Motor Vehicle User’s Charge on All Types of Motor Vehicles and for Other Purposes”.  Under RA 8794, a trucker who violates the prescribed load of 13.5 tons is penalized with a fine ranging from P1,500-P2,700 per violation.

Port control

ACTOO maintained that port truckers do not determine cargo weights since it is determined by importers and shipping lines at the ports of origin and can be controlled by the Bureau of Customs (BoC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Arrastre, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) before the trucks are released from Philippine ports.

ACTOO chair Ricky Papa said his group has been urging the government to set up a mechanism at the port where trucks will undergo weight inspection.  Trucks that are overloaded can be prevented from exiting the ports.

Papa added that the NLEX, constructed in the mid-sixties and was run by the Construction Development Corp. of the Philippines (CDCP) until the early eighties, is the only passable road for truckers to avoid being fined at Mac Arthur Highway in Malolos City, Bulacan, which has its own road policy enacted by the local government.

The truckers also have to secure clearances when plying some parts of Manila.

In Manila, the truck ban begins in the afternoon from 5 to 9 pm while in Muntinlupa from 4 to 8 pm. Trucks are not covered by the color coding scheme elsewhere but in Pasig, Cavite and Laguna. “Some cities even have a daytime tuck ban,” Papa said.

The group alleged that in Muntinlupa, truckers are required to secure a permit from the city government before entering and that traffic enforcers are allowed to withhold their load pending clearance from the city government.

Moratorium

Malacañang officials refused to impose a moratorium for the no-overloading ban saying MNTC has the prerogative in implementing its regulations. MNTC for its part said it cannot violate section 6 of the law, which places the cargo limit at 13.5 tons.

The DPWH has opposed upraising the allowed load limit at the highway saying 13.5 tons is one of the highest limits in the world. It cited the U.S. and Japan where the load limit is at 10.5 tons and Europe, which has a 11 ton-limit.

ACTOO also complained about a government proposal for retooling the trucks. Retooling or equipment conversion will involve modifying their trucks from the current two-axle to tri-axle trailers. Papa said the government explained that retooling will spread the weight of the cargo and enable trucks to pass the prescribed load limit.

His group also rejected the soft loans offered by government for retooling.  He said contracting more loans will further aggravate the plight of truck operators.

The group noted that each unit would need some P300,000 for retooling and that poor road zoning and bad terrain will defeat the purpose of the conversion.

The DOTC also proposed setting up “Task Force Timbang” (Task Force Weighing) to monitor the trucks’ cargo limits at the port.

Papa said his group, composed by the Integrated North Harbor Truckers Association (INHTA), United Truckers Association of the Philippines (UTAP), Unyon ng Truckers sa Pantalan   (UTP or the Union of Port Truckers), MIP Truck Operators Association (MIPTOA), Asosasyon ng mga Operators at Dispatchers sa Pantalan (AODP or Association of Port Operators and Dispatchers), Surplus Importers and Brokers Association, Inc.  (SIBAI) and Fruit Importers and Brokers Association, Inc. (FIBAI) is set to conduct marathon discussions in preparation for their planned work stoppage. Bulatlat

BACK TO TOP ■  PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION  ■   COMMENT

© 2006 Bulatlat ■  Alipato Publications

Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.