Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero is now pushing for a comprehensive review of all laws and policies against overloading by trucks and trailers across the country.
Escudero made the call for a review in light of the recent sudden collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province that was reportedly triggered by overloading.
The Senate chief said a parallel review of policies regarding overloading is in order to determine if these are enforced properly and if these are still effective, or if there may be lapses in enforcement.
“We must find out how the truck that reportedly weighed 102 tons was able to get on the bridge that has a 45-ton maximum capacity,” Escudero said in a statement on Sunday, March 16.
“I am certain that this is not an isolated incident, and a lot of overloaded trucks are able to go about their business without being flagged,” the senator said.
Escudero cited Section 6 of Republic Act 8794, or the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) Act of 2000, which specifies the penalty for overloading, which is equivalent to 25 percent of the MVUC imposed on trucks and trailers.
The same section also states that “no axle load shall exceed 13,500 kilograms,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker recalled that in November 2001, the DPWH, then Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a joint circular laying out the mechanics of implementation and enforcement of the provisions on overloading and the maximum allowable gross vehicle weights.
The provisions depend on the configuration of trucks or trailers.
A revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 8794 was also issued on April 5, 2013, which stated, among others, that the DPWH shall install and operate weighbridge stations or portable weighing machines at strategic locations along national roads for purposes of the implementation of the provisions of the law against overloading.
Under RA 8794, the DPWH is also authorized to outsource to private contractors the operation of the weighbridge stations and portable weighing machines. Under the law, these machines should be in operation 24 hours a day, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
“Ilang weighbridges meron tayo? Ano ba ‘yung weight capacity o load ng mga kalye at tulay na ginagawa natin? Nasusunod ba ito? Napapatupad ba ito? May weighbridge ba bago dumaan sa tulay na ‘yun (How many weighbridges do we have? What is the weight capacity or load of roads and bridges that we construct? Is this being followed? Is this being implemented? Is there a weighbridge before one can cross that bridge)?” Escudero pointed out.
“Kung may weighbridge man na dinaanan ‘yung truck baka pagkalampas sa weighbridge, kinargahan, naiba na ‘yung timbang nun (If a truck was able to pass a weighbridge, maybe after passing it, they loaded more, and thus, there were changes in the weight of the truck),” the Senate President raised.
He further said that based on the data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), close to 400,000 trucks and 55,802 trailers were registered from January to September of 2023. The LTO recorded a total of 16,020 apprehensions based on axle overloading in that same period.
According to Escudero, there are easy and practical ways to prevent the overloading of trucks, such as prohibiting the installation of reinforcements on the bed of trucks or trailers.
A visual inspection of the trucks would also already reveal if these have been reinforced and “if there are reinforcements then it means the trucks are most likely overloaded every time they transport cargoes,” he said.
Escudero also noted that the DPWH has a significant amount of funding for the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of national roads and bridges under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“Once we start deliberations on the proposed 2026 spending plan of the DPWH and the DOTr (Department of Transportation) later this year, we will require an accounting of the expenses incurred as a result of infrastructure damaged due to overloading and the effectiveness of the policies and programs to prevent overloading,” he said.
“We have to put a stop to these recurring expenses that could easily be avoided,” he added.