SENATE President Francis Escudero sought a comprehensive review of all laws and policies against overloading by trucks and trailers amid the reported collapsing of bridges across the country.

There are 8,899 national bridges, spanning a total of 409,496 linear meters.

He made the call to determine if these are enforced properly following the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela province that was reportedly triggered by overloading.

The senator said a parallel review of policies is needed to determine "if these are still effective or there may be lapses in enforcement."

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the implementing agency of the project, conducted its own investigation into the collapse of the multibillion-peso bridge.

"We must find out how the truck that reportedly weighed 102 tons was able to get on the bridge that has a 45-ton maximum capacity," Escudero said in a statement on Sunday.

"I am certain that this is not an isolated incident, and a lot of overloaded trucks are able to go about their business without being flagged," he said.

Based on data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO), close to 400,000 trucks and 55,802 trailers were registered from January to September of 2023.

During the same period, the LTO recorded a total of 16,020 apprehensions based on axle overloading that resulted in penalty collections amounting to P32,012,810.

Section 6 of Republic Act 8794, or the Motor Vehicle User's Charge (MVUC) Act of 2000, specifies the penalty for overloading, which is equivalent to 25 percent of the MVUC imposed on trucks and trailers. The same section states that "no axle load shall exceed 13,500 kilograms."

The DPWH, the Department of Transportation and Communications, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued a joint circular on Nov. 19, 2001 laying out the mechanics of implementation and enforcement of the provisions on overloading and the maximum allowable gross vehicle weights, depending on the configuration of trucks or trailers, cognizant that overloaded trucks lead to unnecessary damage on national roads and bridges.

A revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 8794 was also issued on April 5, 2013, which stated, among others, that the DPWH should install and operate weighbridge stations or portable weighing machines at strategic locations along national roads for purposes of the implementation of the provisions of the law against overloading.

The law also authorizes the DPWH to outsource to private contractors the operation of the weighbridge stations and portable weighing machines that should be in operation 24 hours a day, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

"How many weighbridges do we have? What is the weight capacity or load of the roads and bridges that we construct? Are these being implemented?" Escudero asked in Filipino.

He said there are easy and practical ways to prevent the overloading of trucks, such as prohibiting the installation of reinforcements on the bed of trucks or trailers.

He said a visual inspection of the trucks would reveal if these have been reinforced and "if there are reinforcements then it means the trucks are most likely overloaded every time they transport cargoes."