The Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) has raised concerns over the increasing number of trucks hitting bridges across major highways, citing outdated vertical clearances as a persistent and nationwide issue.
This follows a recent incident in Marilao, where a truck collided with an overpass on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). CTAP president Mary Zapata confirmed the issue is not isolated, pointing to similar accidents along Abad Santos in Manila and stretches of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
“The vertical clearance of bridges is no longer compatible with the height of modern trucks,” Zapata said, adding that many truckers now reroute—often at higher costs and longer turnaround times—just to avoid potential collisions.
CTAP has been in talks with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Secretary Vince Dizon to explore solutions such as road scraping or bridge elevation. However, Dizon acknowledged that such infrastructure adjustments could result in tripled or even quadrupled costs.
In the meantime, CTAP is advising members to continue taking detours and factor the added costs—fuel, tolls, driver pay—into client pricing. A general membership meeting is scheduled this week to discuss interim strategies.
Still, CTAP admits that this workaround is not sustainable and is calling for urgent multi-agency dialogue, including the LTO, LTFRB, TRB, NLEX Corp., and DPWH. “It’s time for a technical working group to form and decide whether a memorandum, amendment, or moratorium is needed,” said Zapata.
She stressed that collaborative action is critical: “We all need to understand the situation and act together as stakeholders in the traffic industry.”
