The Department of Transportation on Thursday assured the public the impending “truck holiday” pushed for by small, independent trucking groups regarding the phaseout of trucks based on year model will have a minimal impact on port operations.
A leader of the truckers said the truckers would go on a holiday for six days next week in protest against the phaseout of 15-year-old trucks.
Mary Zapata, president of the Aduana Business Club Inc., told radio dzMM in an interview beamed only 20 percent of trucks nationwide would remain operational if the policy was not modified.
These small groups of truckers plan to hold a nearly week-long “Day of Rest” on Nov. 19 to 24 , in protest against Department Order 2017-09, which reinforced the earlier DO 2002-030 on the mandatory 15-year age limit for buses- and trucks-for-hire covered by a certificate of public convenience.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra III said that it was already agreed upon that truckers, even with units older than 15 years, may continue with their current franchises during the transition period.
“These units, regardless of year model, will be allowed to operate during the transition period, should they pass the roadworthiness test of the Motor Vehicle Inspection System being procured by the Land Transportation Office [LTO],” Delgra said.
Additionally, the DoTr wants to clarify to the public that big trucking companies are not involved in the planned protest.
“Trucking groups such as the Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations [ACTOO], the Chamber of Customs Brokers Inc. [CCBI], and the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines, Inc. [CTAP] have issued separate statements that they are not supporting the planned protest, and their respective operations will continue on those dates. They will not support this truck holiday,” DOTr Undersecretary for Maritime Fernando Juan Perez said.
The DOTr is grateful to these groups for continuing their scheduled deliveries during the small truckers’ planned “truck holiday,” and for putting public interest first.
The DOTr and its attached agencies will continue to push for the modernization of public vehicles for the safety, security and comfort of the Filipinos.
Through modernization, vehicles will be made to comply with higher standards of roadworthiness, travel efficiency, and environmental sustainability.