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TO
protect their member-operators from soaring fuel prices,
two of the country’s largest trucker groups intend to
put in place an automatic rate- adjustment scheme
without consulting their top clients.
The
Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines
(CTAP) and the Integrated North Harbor Truckers
Association (INHTA), with a combined membership of more
than 5,000 units, said the scheme will allow them to
increase their rates and do away with the tedious
process of first getting the nod of their clients before
they can raise their own price.
The
truckers said they are putting in place a “trigger
mechanism” that will allow them to increase their rates
if diesel price climbs to a certain level, using P52 per
liter as the base price.
For CTAP,
operators may increase their rates by a certain
percentage if the pump price of diesel increases by 30
percent. INHTA will adjust its rates by 10 percent. Both
groups are working out the details of the increases.
The
truckers’ groups may also consult their stakeholders.
In the
past, the truckers sought the approval of their clients
before increasing their rates. The process took weeks,
even months, and normally led to misunderstandings
between stakeholders, like shipping lines and
distribution-management firms.
CTAP
said it will input the hike in their general rates, and
INHTA will collect the increase through a surcharge. “We
are implementing the scheme to cope up with the times as
we expect prices to still go up despite the P1-
per-liter cut implemented [some two weeks ago],” CTAP
president Col. Rodolfo de Ocampo said.
“A
proportionate increase in our general rates will be
enforced once the price of diesel rises by at least 30
percent since we could no longer subsidize our fuel
expenses, which we have been trying to finance the past
two years,” De Ocampo added.
On the
other hand, INHTA president Catalino Costales said this
is a “survival-relief measure” and a reaction to the
rate adjustment implemented by local carriers from
Manila to the Visayas and Mindanao last month.
“We are
implementing the surcharge on top of our general rate
increase approved by the PLSA [Philippine Liner Shipping
Association] and another round of rate increase at the
start of next month as we could no longer bear the brunt
of the rising fuel cost to our business,” Costales said.
On July
1, CTAP increased its rates by 30 percent to recover
losses related to fuel, labor and maintenance expenses.
That was CTAP’s first rate increase in two years.
From the
Manila South Harbor, CTAP members transport 20-foot
container vans within Metro Manila for P8,060 from
P5,642, and P8,840 for 40-foot container vans from
P6,188.
Beyond
Edsa, CTAP is charging P9,090 for 20-footers to
Valenzuela and P11,960 for 40-footers to Meycauayan in
Bulacan.
INHTA,
on the other hand, charges P6,000 per 20-foot container
van within the 40-km radius from Manila. It used to
charge P5,610 for the same specifications of load and
distance.
By
August 1, INHTA members will be adding P284 in recovery
surcharge for 10-footer containers, P405 for 20-footers
and P688.50 for 40-footers roundtrip within the 40-km
radius. These new surcharges exclude the value-added
tax. |
