A TRUCK ban will be imposed at the Cebu International Port (CIP) starting on Friday, Jan. 15 2021.
During the Provincial Traffic Management Board (PTMB) meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7, it was decided that trucks can only collect goods at the CIP between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. to help decongest traffic in the north.
The PTMB also allowed trucks to collect goods seven days a week instead of only during weekdays, said Edwin Jumao-as, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) executive director.
A text message from Cebu Port Authority general manager Leonilo Miole said they came up with the experimental scheme to spur economic growth.
“An executive order will be issued by the governor to ensure compliance by all concerned,” said Miole.
Jumao-as said Mandaue City will benefit from the scheme since motorists from other cities and municipalities will have to pass by it. So, too, will truck drivers and operators because they will be able to save on fuel cost having to spend less time on the road, he said.
Jumao-as said the ban is applicable only to trucks collecting goods at the CIP, adding that the PTMB has yet to finalize guidelines for trucks delivering goods.
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Steven Yu said this development is a move in the right direction.
“From the perspective of general business and the common good, the initiative will lessen traffic and promote efficiency and productivity across most businesses,” he said.
However, he said truckers and some businesses will need to adjust until the traffic and infrastructure issue is resolved.
In a separate interview, Leoncio Cubarol, president of the Visayas United Truckers Association Inc. (VUTAI), told Sunstar Cebu they will abide by the PTMB’s decision as part of their corporate social responsibility, but the group expects disruption in its supply chain.
Cubarol said they may need to hire additional drivers to work the night shift, as well as helpers, electricians and mechanics, among others.
Right now, he said, they can pull out goods from the CIP from 8 a.m. to midnight.
“Once the trucks will gather at the CIP to pull out the goods, can the CIP accommodate all of the trucks? It will also take 15 to 20 minutes to pull out the goods for each truck,” he said in Cebuano.
The VUTAI has 50 members with 700 trucks.
Cubarol said they may have to adjust rates as the new scheme will create additional costs for them, which means the prices of goods in the market will also increase.
However, they will still have to convene with other truckers once the ban is implemented to determine if it has affected their operations. (KFD)