MANILA — A truck holiday set next week in protest of the phasing out of old trucks will only cause minimal impact on port operations in the country, an official of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday.
“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 in a statement on Thursday.
Media reports stated that a group of truck operators is set to stage a six-day “Truckers Day of Rest” from Nov. 19 to 24 in protest of Department Order 2017-09 that reinforced an earlier order issued in 2002, which mandates a 15-year age limit for public utility bus units or trucks for hire covered by a certificate of public convenience.
The DOTr also said truck operators, even with units that are more than 15 years old, can continue operating with their franchises as long as they ensure its roadworthiness.
“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,” Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Martin Delgra III said.
The transition period for the phaseout of trucks with 15-year-old age limit is from June 30, 2017 to June 30, 2020, according to the DOTr.
The Inland Haulers and Truckers Association said it will push through with the truck holiday unless the government halts the phaseout of old truck units and consider their roadworthiness instead.
The truckers group said the phaseout will result in the loss of livelihood of around 90 percent of small-scale truck operators while benefiting international shipping companies.
