TRUCK operators with units that are 15 years or older may still renew their franchise until June 30, 2020 provided the vehicles have passed a roadworthiness test.
In a recent statement, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra III said that the LTFRB is “veering away from the vehicle age policy, and moving towards roadworthiness” as the basis for granting franchises to them.
Delgra pointed to LTFRB MC 2018-07, which noted once the government establishes its Motor Vehicle Inspection System (MVIS), roadworthiness will become the basis for granting CPC to PUVs, including trucks.
This clarification comes after some groups staged a trucking holiday from November 19 to 20 to protest the difficulty in returning empty containers as well as the 15-year truck age limit.
Truckers have long argued that roadworthiness, not truck age, should be the basis for the grant of a certificate of public convenience (CPC) or franchise.
Some truckers have complained of their current inability to renew units that are 15 years or older due to several rulings from the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and LTFRB.
Per LTFRB Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-07, June 30 is the end of a two-and-a-half-year transition period within which truck operators with existing CPCs should substitute their non-compliant trucks.
MC 2018-97 conforms to Department of Transportation Department Order (DO) 2017-09, which expressly said the filing of new CPC applications for trucks-for-hire (TH) beyond 15 years will not be allowed.
Baguio City and Benguet Province rely on trucks in delivering highland vegetables to Metro Manila and other provinces and supplies 80 percent of the countries vegetable requirement.
Before implementation of the MVIS, Delgra advised truckers to either “substitute” their trucks or make them roadworthy.
And even after the MVIS adoption, Delgra said trucks beyond 15 years old may still be given a CPC provided they pass the roadworthiness test.