The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) is petitioning the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to stop operations of an axle weighbridge in Tamisu, Bais City in central Negros Oriental after a study showed perceived defects in its construction.
Businessman Danford Sy, a member of the NOCCI Board of Directors and who is engaged in the trucking and hauling business, disclosed that the Tamisu axle weighbridge is deficient as it is built on an uneven surface, such that weighing of trucks and other vehicles for their axle load is not accurate.
Sy further disclosed that he presented the study he made during a recent NOCCI meeting attended by representatives from the DPWH, the Land Transportation Office, businessmen, and Rep. George Arnaiz of the 2nd district which includes Bais City.
According to Sy, the uneven surface of the weighbridge shifts the weight of each axle, thus some of these axles tend to exceed the weight limit with the owner of the vehicle subject to penalties under the law.
The closer the axles are to each other, the greater the chance of weight transfer and the greater the effects of this transfer of weight, he added.
Furthermore, the study revealed that the length of the existing weigh bridge with an even and flat surface only measures 12 to 15 feet, but ideally, it should be at least 100 feet from end to end to accommodate longer hauling trucks, Sy explained.
Also, an axle weight comparison made by Sy for vehicles being weighed at the Tamisu weighbridge showed discrepancies, depending on which direction the vehicle was facing.
If facing towards Manjuyod or to the north, the vehicles axles were heavier compared to if it was facing towards Bais City or southward, said Sy.
This, he believes, is indicative of not just an uneven ground of the facility that sits on a hillside along the national highway.
According to Sy, reasonable weights cannot be obtained for multiple axle weighing at the Tamisu weighbridge because of its “deficiencies”.
He admitted, though, that some businessmen are unmindful of this, despite being charged higher penalties for “misreading” of axle loads on their vehicles.
Meanwhile, Sy said he is also against the use of portable weighing scales being used by the DPWH in other areas in the Philippines as these could slow down or even hamper traffic as the equipment have to be situated on a flat surface on the highway.
The Tamisu facility is the only weighbridge in Negros Oriental, such that businessmen to include truckers, haulers, sugarcane planters and cargo transporters are complaining that those engaged in similar businesses in the other half of the province are not subject to complying with the law on axle overload. (PNA)
