Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Roger G. Mercado recently ordered all DPWH Regional and District Engineering Offices to intensify Anti-Overloading Operations, as a response to the latest Department report on increased cases of truck overloading nationwide.
DPWH Secretary Mercado, citing a report from the DPWH Bureau of Quality and Safety said that the 2021 Nationwide Cases of Truck Overloading was recorded at 34.11 percent out of all the trucks that were weighed, or an increase of 6.96 percent from 2020 at 27.15 percent.
“Of the 401,785 trucks that were weighed by our 38 truck weighing stations in 2021, a total of 137,029 or 34.11 percent were apprehended for overloading. This is alarming, considering that the cases have worsened from last year,” said Secretary Mercado.
“Overloaded vehicles result to premature deterioration of roads and bridges, causing vehicular accidents, and endangering commuters and pedestrians. This also redounds to more government spending on road maintenance,” added Secretary Mercado.
The DPWH, in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP), and Land Transportation Office (LTO) jointly apprehends violators of overloading nationwide by setting up permanent and mobile weighing stations along national roads.