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More weighbridge stations have been set up for trucks entering the North Luzon Expressway, NLEX Connector, and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway for greater compliance with the government’s anti-overloading policy
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The new weighbridge stations are located at SCTEX Porac, Pampanga and Concepcion, Tarlac
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The ACB Truck Scale Services weighbridge in Dinalupihan, Bataan, has also been opened to all trucks from Monday to Sunday, charging P400-P600 per vehicle
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More weighbridge stations may be opened in the months ahead at SCTEX Floridablanca and Dinalupihan, and NLEX Marilao, Mindanao Avenue, and Karuhatan
NLEX Corporation installed more weighbridge stations for trucks entering the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector, and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) to ensure compliance with the government’s anti-overloading policy.
The new weighbridge stations are located at SCTEX Porac in Pampanga and Concepcion in Tarlac.
The tollway company in a statement said it is strictly enforcing the anti-overloading provisions of Republic Act No. 8794, otherwise known as An Act Imposing a Motor Vehicle Users Charge on Owners of all Types of Motor Vehicle and for Other Purposes.
NLEX is also implementing the 33-ton weight limit on the Candaba Viaduct southbound lanes, as affirmed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
RELATED READ: Vehicles 33 tons and up barred from southbound Candaba Viaduct
The privately owned ACB Truck Scale Services weighbridge in Dinalupihan, Bataan, has also been opened to all trucks from Monday to Sunday, 8am to 5pm. Truckers need to pay a P400-P600 fee, depending on the truck type. The fee will go directly to ACB.
In addition, NLEX is planning to open more stations in the coming months to further promote safety and convenience. These locations will be at SCTEX Floridablanca and Dinalupihan, and NLEX Marilao, Mindanao Avenue, and Karuhatan.
Apart from these, there are 12 existing weighbridge locations along the entire stretch of NLEX and four satellite locations in partnership with private firms.
These private stations are the TAG Metal Weighbridge on Ninoy Aquino Highway, Bgy. Sta Maria, Mabalacat, Pampanga; Clark Development Corporation (CDC) Weighbridge in Clark Freeport, Mabalacat; Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC) Weighbridge on San Bernardino Road, Subic Port District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales; and Mega Subic Terminal Services Inc. (MSTSI) weighbridge in NSD Compound, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales.
NLEX management said having these weighbridge sites in place will help reduce the incidence of overloading, which threatens the safety of motorists as extra load may affect the driver’s control of the vehicle. It added that these will also protect roads from further damage and improve the efficient movement of cargoes.
Last year, NLEX partnered with stakeholders to set up weighbridge stations closer to their respective bases as part of its initiative to ease the daily operations of various companies while advancing road safety.
Under Section 6 (Penalty for Overloading) of RA 8794, “An amount equivalent to twenty five percent (25%) of the MVUC [Motor Vehicle User’s Charge] shall be imposed on trucks and trailers for loading beyond their prescribed gross vehicle weight: provided, That no axle load shall exceed thirteen thousand five hundred kilograms (13,500 kgs).”
The law’s revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) provides the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight (MAGVW) per truck type or code.
Truckers for years, however, have been asking DPWH to amend the revised IRR of RA 8794 that was issued in 2013 and increase the MAGVW of truck codes 12-2 and 12-3, which are two truck types that are most commonly used for carrying cargoes in the Philippines.
The Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (CTAP), in particular, has also been requesting the DPWH to permanently suspend the enforcement of the MAGVW for these truck codes.
CTAP earlier reiterated that even if truckers were given an indefinite period to comply with the prescribed MAGVW under the law’s revised IRR, “there would not be any transport equipment anywhere in the world that will satisfy the gross vehicle weight of 41,500 kilograms for 12-2 and 42,000 kg for 12-3.”
DPWH said in a trucking event in July last year that it is studying the possible updating of the IRR to include new configurations of trucks that are now being used in the country. The department is also studying the possible updating of the distribution factor corresponding to inter-axle spacing to allow higher maximum gross vehicle weight limits.
