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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Some 150 large trucks used primarily to transport sand and other aggregate materials blocked and blocked access to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) at eight toll plazas in Pampanga on Saturday morning, causing a stoppage massive traffic.
Starting at 6 am, entry and exit at the NLEx toll plazas in San Simón, Ciudad de San Fernando, Mexico, Ciudad de Ángeles, Dau, Mabiga and Sta. Inez in the city of Mabalacat, as well as those of the SCTEx in Porac and Floridablanca they were effectively blocked and barricaded by truckers.
They put up the blockade to protest NLEx Corp.’s policy banning 12- and 14-wheeler trucks from the highway since August. This, despite its compliance with the cargo weight restrictions previously established by NLEx Corp.
Just about two hours later the truckers agreed to clear their barricades and allow access to the NLEX after Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda appealed to them.
Slow response
But even when Pineda called for calm and called on protesting truckers to lift their barricades, the governor lashed out at NLEx Corp. for its failure and slowness in solving the problem that has persisted for more than two months.
Pineda said 2,500 trucks from the quarry a day use the highway to deliver their shipments to Manila.
NLEx Corp. communications manager Kit Ventura said they will send an administrative team to meet with Governor Pineda.
However, Pineda told the media at the NLEx toll plaza here where he made his appeal that he will not meet with the same NLEx management team led by one Allan Gregorio and denounced the slowness of NLEx Corp. to resolve the problem. .
NLEx Corp officials were also criticized for snubbing the Nov. 6 meeting with truckers to finalize the allowable load of cargo, said Lennard Lansang, president of the Porac Truckers and Carriers Association.
“The NLEx is owned by the government. NLEx Corp. only manages it, but decided to ban trucks from the quarry without consulting local government units, ”the governor told reporters while criticizing NLEx Corp for its slowness in solving problems.
“All his administration (NLEx) does is talk. It doesn’t provide solutions, ”Pineda complained, adding that he was concerned about some 4,000 drivers and helpers not earning income when the ban entered its third month.
The daily rate for drivers and helpers is P1,000 and P500, respectively. The carriers make a profit of P2,000 after operating expenses and depreciation of the vehicles.
Governor Pineda said that during the last dialogue, the truckers informed him that they have reduced the sidings of their trucks in order to comply with the load allowed in NLEx.
“They can’t use the MacArthur Highway because it is very busy and the road is in poor condition,” he explained.
The governor said the ban was not being fully enforced because information that reached him showed that some patrol guards allow heavier trucks in exchange for P1,000.
Pineda also criticized NLEx Corp. management after two patrol guards arrested a protesting driver at gunpoint.
At 2:30 pm Saturday, NLEx Corp. issued a statement “assuring the automotive public that the administration is taking seriously concerns about legal cargo limits raised by drivers and truckers.”
He said it caused the temporary diversion of 12-wheel dump trucks while the major rehabilitation of the 5-kilometer Candaba Viaduct is underway.
NLEx Corp. said that in August 2020 it began the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Candaba Viaduct roadway bound for Manila, 35, and was forced to temporarily regulate the entry of constantly overloaded 12-wheel dump trucks for safety reasons. .
Before the implementation of the project, the tolling company contacted the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), the governor’s office of Pampanga Pineda and the mayors of San Fernando, San Simón. , Apalit in Pampanga, Calumpit, Pulilan, Malolos and Guiguinto in Bulacan, the affected truck groups, and the Chamber of Commerce of Pampanga to highlight the urgency of repairing the Candaba Viaduct to ensure its long-term viability as a vital road link between the North and Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
NLEx also issued public notices that rebuilding will require the closure of certain lanes and the implementation of temporary countercurrent traffic measures.
In the meantime, to allay the concerns of affected truckers and quarry haulers, dialogues are held to demonstrate proper and compliant procedures for loading their trucks.
NLEx currently implements the load limit provisions of RA 8794 and the DOTR-DPWH Joint Implementing Rules and Regulations revised in 2012 that establish the maximum load limits for trucks nationwide.
Meanwhile, NLEx continues to implement other road safety rules required by RA 4136 or the Philippine Land Traffic and Transportation Code, which provide standard criteria for stopping unsafe and inappropriate loads. Various communication, education, and application programs are being carried out to ensure awareness and compliance with road safety measures by truckers and carriers.
With recent programs, reports show that compliance with load limits has increased, indicating that the trucking industry is supporting road safety programs and appreciating the value of promoting the safety of expressway users.
