NLEX Corp. said it opened new weighbridges in Porac, Pampanga and Concepcion, Tarlac to help truckers avoid overweight fines along the company’s toll roads.
A privately-operated weighbridge has also opened along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) in Dinalupihan, Bataan, it said.
The private weighbridge, operated by ACB Truck Scale Services, is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., charging fees of P400-P600 fee depending on truck type.
“Having these weighbridge sites in place will help reduce overloading incidents which threaten the safety of motorists as extra load may affect the driver’s control of the vehicle,” the company said in a statement.
“This will also protect roads from further damage and improve the efficient movement of cargoes,” it added.
“Additional weighing stations are planned for SCTEX Floridablanca and Dinalupihan, and NLEX Marilao, Mindanao, and Karuhatan,” the company said, referring to the North Luzon Expressway toll road.
The expressway has 12 stations along with four satellite locations in partnership with private firms.
The private stations are TAG Metal Weighbridge at Ninoy Aquino Highway in Mabalacat, Pampanga; the Clark Development Corp. Weighbridge at Clark Freeport in Mabalacat, Pampanga; the Subic Bay International Corp. Weighbridge at San Bernardino Road in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, and the Mega Subic Terminal Services, Inc. Weighbridge at the NSD Compound at the freeport.
Republic Act No. 8794 or An Act Imposing a Motor Vehicle User’s Charge on Owners of all Types of Motor Vehicles and for Other Purposes, regulates vehicle weights on the roads.
A 33-ton weight limit is also in force on the southbound lanes of the Candaba Viaduct, a key bottleneck on the highway system where the road narrows to traverse the Candaba swamp, NLEX said.
NLEX Corp. is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
