Some 150 Pampanga quarry-based haulers barricaded several NLEX interchanges early Saturday morning in protest of the temporary rerouting of 12-wheeler and 14-wheeler dump trucks.
The haulers put up the truck-barricades to protest the policy of NLEX Corp. prohibiting the entry of 12-wheeler and 14-wheeler trucks on the tollway since late August due to the ongoing major rehabilitation of the 5-kilometer Candaba Viaduct.
It was learned that the protest and barricade began as early as 6:00AM which cause a heavy flow of traffic on all toll gates of San Simon, San Fernando, Mexico, Floridablanca, Porac, Angeles City, Dau, Mabiga and Sta Inez.
Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda rushed immediately to San Fernando toll gate wherein he talked with the haulers and appealed to remove their trucks along NLEX tolls as he committed to take the issue to the national and negotiate with the management of NLEX regarding their concern.
At 7:30 AM the trucks were voluntary removed by the protesters.
Meanwhile, NLEX Corporation is assuring the motoring public that concerns on legal load limits being raised by motorists and truckers alike are being taken seriously by the management.
Last August 2020, NLEX commenced the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 35-year-old Manila-bound carriageway of the Candaba Viaduct and was compelled to temporarily regulate the entry of perennially overloaded 12-wheeler dump trucks for safety reasons.
Prior to the project’s implementation, the tollway company reached out to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda’s office and the mayors of San Fernando City, Angeles City, Mabalacat City, San Simon, Apalit in Pampanga, Calumpit, Pulilan, Malolos City, and Guiguinto in Bulacan, the affected trucking groups, and the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce to highlight the urgency of repairing the Candaba Viaduct to assure its long-term viability as a vital road link between North and Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
The NLEX also issued public advisories that the reconstruction will require closure of certain lanes and the implementation of temporary counterflow traffic measures.
Meanwhile, to assuage the concerns of the affected quarry-based truckers and haulers, dialogues are ongoing to demonstrate proper and compliant procedures for loading their trucks.
The NLEX currently implements the load limits provisions of R.A. 8794 and the Joint DOTR-DPWH Implementing Rules and Regulations revised in 2012 which sets the maximum load limits for trucks nationwide.
NLEX continues to implement other road safety rules required under RA 4136 or The Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines which provide standard criteria for apprehending unsafe and improper loading.
Several communication, education and enforcement programs are ongoing to ensure awareness and compliance of road safety measures by the truckers and haulers.
With the recent programs, reports show that load limit compliance has increased indicating that the trucking sector is supporting the road safety programs and appreciating the value of promoting the safety of the expressway users.