About 40% of the estimated 10,000 trucks serving Metro Manila faced apprehension by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) as they resumed on August 16 operations against illegally operating (colorum) trucks for hire.
The anti-colorum drive, which increased fines for illegally operating public utility vehicles, is sanctioned by Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01 signed by the Department of Transportation and Communications, LTFRB and LTO.
During a Senate hearing on port congestion last week, Alberto Suansing, director of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP), said an estimated 10,000 trucks serve the National Capital Region but only 60% have a provisional authority to operate.
The LTFRB on June 17 gave green-plated truck owners applying for a franchise a provisional authority to operate until October 17. The same memo ordered a moratorium on the apprehension of trucks for hire without a franchise so as not to limit the number of such vehicles on the road which, in turn, would further aggravate port congestion.
The moratorium expired on August 15. Starting August 16, trucks without a provisional authority face a fine of P200,000 under JAO 2014-01.
At the same Senate hearing, LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said it is “high time” to implement the anti-colorum drive but admitted this may translate to fewer haulers on the road needed to alleviate port congestion.
Every day, Suansing said there are 6,000 container pullouts at the port and that means more than 6,000 trucks are needed since not all will be able to make a turnaround on the same day due to the Manila truck ban.
The Philippine Ports Authority, on the other hand, said daily pullouts have averaged 4,200 boxes since June, the time when Manila implemented the express trade lanes for trucks.
Lower trucking rates
Suansing said once turnaround time decreases, truckers will cut the prevailing trucking rates.
If conditions are right, Ginez said the agency will also direct truckers to adjust the rates to pre-truck ban levels, citing Executive Order 202 that grants LTFRB the right to prescribe prices.
However, Suansing explained that historically, rates of trucks have always been deregulated and dictated by market forces.
CTAP, as well as the Integrated North Harbor Truckers Association, increased their guide rates by at least 50% due to the slower truck turnaround since the Manila truck ban was implemented in late February.
There are reports, however, that some truckers charge as high as 200% more than the guide rates.
From the usual turnaround of once a day, it now takes 72 hours for a truck to complete its task.
Suansing cited an instance when an empty container stayed aboard a truck for a week due to the lack of container yard space, another effect created by the truck ban.
On a related note, the LTFRB on August 14 signed Memorandum Circular 2014-14, which no longer requires privately owned and not-for-hire trucks from filing an application for exemption to operate. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of vectorolie at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
