MANILA -The Board of Investments (BOI) on Friday said government agencies would review regulations that penalize vehicle overloading amid the persistence of this problem in one of the country’s main arterial highways.
The BOI said it had organized an inter-agency meeting last week, where several agencies agreed to review the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 8794, otherwise known as “An Act Imposing a Motor Vehicle User’s Charge on Owners of all Types of Motor Vehicles and for Other Purposes.”
This was in response to the continued issue of overloading at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), a 105-kilometer road system that connects Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon.
“This is very timely, as according to the representatives from DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), the agency has already formed a special committee to review the (IRR) of R.A. 8794,” the BOI said.
“It was agreed in the meeting that revisions to the IRR should include the new types of trucks not previously in the truck classification and provide an updated computation of the gross vehicle weight to include the dimensions of the trucks,” it added.
Concessionaire NLEx Corp. has been implementing since August last year a 33-ton gross vehicle weight (GVW) restriction on the Candaba Viaduct southbound along NLEx because of its structural condition. Backed by a DPWH study, this is stricter than the 45-ton maximum GVW under RA No. 8794.
“NLEx conducted weighing activities for trucks traversing NLEx, and it was found out that heavy trucks carrying sand traversing the north and south bounds exceeded the permissible axle load limit and GVW as prescribed under RA 8794,” said the BOI.
“These kinds of trucks are not included in the matrix of truck classifications prepared by DPWH,” it added.
The local government units (LGUs) of Pampanga and Bulacan raised concerns that the continued overloading could damage the road system.
“The ramifications of this are costly for the concerned LGUs, as it may increase the cost of maintaining and rehabilitating the public roads. This will also negatively impact the investment potential of the said provinces as investors place emphasis on good infrastructure, including roads, when deciding on the location of their projects,” the BOI said. INQ