Senate President Francis Escudero on Sunday called for a thorough review of all laws and policies regarding truck and trailer overloading nationwide, following the recent collapse of a bridge in Isabela province.
This comes as the Senate President questioned the enforcement of overloading policies, citing the 2 February collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge, which resulted in four deaths and six injuries.
Escudero said a parallel review of policies will determine if they remain effective or if there are enforcement lapses, while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) conducts its own investigation into the multibillion-peso bridge collapse.
“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. “I am certain that this is not an isolated incident, and a lot of overloaded trucks can go about their business without being flagged.”
Section 6 of Republic Act 8794, or the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) Act of 2000, specifies the penalty for overloading, which is 25 percent of the MVUC imposed on trucks and trailers.
The same section states that “no axle load shall exceed 13,500 kilograms.”
A 2001 joint circular by the DPWH, then Department of Transportation and the Department of the Interior and Local Government outlined the implementation of overloading provisions and maximum allowable gross vehicle weights.
Meantime, a 2013 revision to the implementing rules of RA 8794 mandated the DPWH to install weighbridge stations or portable weighing machines along national roads.
The law also authorizes the DPWH to outsource the operation of these weighbridge stations.
Despite this, Escudero raised concerns about the enforcement and effectiveness of weighbridges.
“How many weighbridges do we have? What is the weight capacity of the roads and bridges we build? Are these being followed? Are they being enforced? Is there a weighbridge before crossing that bridge? If there was a weighbridge the truck passed through, maybe after passing, it was loaded and its weight changed,” Escudero said.
According to Land Transportation Office (LTO) data, nearly 400,000 trucks and 55,802 trailers were registered from January to September 2023. During that period, the LTO recorded 16,020 apprehensions for axle overloading, resulting in P32 million in penalties.
Escudero said preventing truck overloading could be achieved by prohibiting reinforcements on truck beds.
“The government, along with the LTO, should prohibit the installation of any reinforcements on the beds of trucks to automatically prevent truck overloading. If this happens, the truck owners should be held accountable,” Escudero said.
He also urged an assessment of the load capacity of roads and bridges.
There are 8,899 national bridges across the country, spanning 409,496 linear meters.
Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, the DPWH has significant funding for road and bridge projects.
“Once we start deliberations on the proposed 2026 spending plan of the DPWH and the DoTr 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,” Escudero said.
