Only trucks and heavy vehicles participating in the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS) are exempt from the truck ban, as agreed upon by the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
MMDA stressed this in a statement, wherein it also advised TABS-registered trucks to stay on the dedicated lane along Roxas Boulevard.
On the other hand, trucks and heavy vehicles not participating in TABS are required to observe the regular truck ban hours on all roads of Metro Manila from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., except Sundays and holidays.
Heavy trucks, including garbage trucks, are covered by the total truck ban along EDSA, MMDA added.The authority also pointed out that “all truck ban exemptions are exclusively issued by MMDA to truckers going in and out of Metro Manila.”
Exemption of TABS trucks from the truck ban is embodied in MMDA Metro Manila Council-Special Traffic Committee Resolution No. 02-2016 approved on January 13 and MMDA Memorandum Circular No. 04-2016.
TABS is a government-sanctioned web-based system that manages truck movements in and out of Manila International Container Terminal and Manila South Harbor.
i-ACT is the single authority tasked to manage traffic in Metro Manila and is composed of representatives from MMDA, Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group.
Earlier, MMDA also clarified that cargo trucks are exempt from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, otherwise known as number coding scheme, but are still subject to the truck ban.
MMDA also reiterated the continued observance of the One Truck Lane Policy along C-5, Katipunan Avenue, Congressional Road, Mindanao Avenue, and R-10.
