A DAVAO City councilor has raised concerns over overloaded trucks causing significant damage to city roads and is pushing for regulations to set and enforce maximum load limits.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environment, said overloaded trucks have made roads in several areas inaccessible, affecting commuters and raising safety issues.
“Kung overloaded man gud ang truck, maguba ang kalsada. So gusto silang makasiguro na dapat muagi ni sa mga kalsada na dili mafail (If trucks are overloaded, the roads get damaged. People want to ensure they can pass through roads that won’t fail),” Ocampo said during the Aprubado sa Konseho session on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
He added that, in cases where road damage does occur, city engineers should assess and certify whether the roads can accommodate the truck loads.
Currently, the maximum load limit for trucks is set at 18 cubic meters, but Ocampo noted that some trucks—particularly those from China—exceed this, carrying up to 22 cubic meters, which contributes to the deterioration of city infrastructure.
“This has been a recurring complaint from barangays,” Ocampo said. “Katong ginagamit na truck, kasagaran dagko gyud kaayo ang karga. That’s why we are going to regulate that (Most of these trucks are carrying loads that are far too heavy, and that’s what we want to regulate).”
Areas with the most affected roads include Buhangin, Cabantian, and Mandug.
Ocampo underscored the need for stricter enforcement of weight limits, warning that failure to regulate could lead to further road damage, disruptions to daily travel, and public dissatisfaction with the local government.
While the proposed regulations are still in the planning stages, Ocampo assured that measures would soon be implemented to address the issue. Hannah Katrina Marisse Martinez, AdDU intern