Amid the ongoing crackdown against colorum truck-for-hire services, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), under the guidance of Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Z. Lopez, has summoned the records of five popular online shopping platforms of their legitimate delivery service partners.
Acting LTFRB Chairman Atty. Greg G. Pua, Jr. said the issuance of the Subpoena Duces Tecum is part of the ongoing operation to run after owners of trucks and other private vehicles who have been providing delivery services without the proper permits from the agency.
“We are in the initial phase of our aggressive operations against truck-for-hire or delivery service motor vehicles that are providing services illegally. By summoning the list of these five online shopping platforms, we will be able to identify those legitimate and colorum ones,” said Acting Chairman Pua.
This is in line with the instruction of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. to implement fair rules and regulations to ensure that the interest and welfare of those in the transport sector are protected.
The Subpoena Duces Tecum, signed by LTFRB Legal Division Chief Atty. Ralph Aldrin E. Baguio, was issued to the service providers for Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, TikTok Shop and SM Retail Inc.
“You or your duly authorized representative… is hereby COMMANDED to submit before this Board, within three (3) working days from receipt hereof, the complete and updated list of its accredited Truck-for-Hire (TH) service providers, together with relevant documents identifying such service providers,” the subpoena read.
“The foregoing documents shall be submitted for the consideration and appropriate action of this Board in connection with the matter under investigation,” it added.
Earlier, the LTFRB conducted an investigation and validation of the report of the prevalence of trucks, vans and other private motor vehicle owners that are illegally catering to online e-commerce marketplaces and shopping platforms as transport, logistics, and delivery services.
Acting Chairman said that delivery services are governed by rules and regulations of the LTFRB and any operation without the permits from the agency is illegal and considered as colorum—with penalties that include impounding of motor vehicles and a fine of up to P200,000 per unit.
Aside from road safety issues, the LTFRB stressed that the operation of colorum truck-for-hire and delivery services is unfair to the legitimate operators who have been strictly following the government’s rules and regulations.
The LTFRB’s Law Enforcement Unit was already tasked to intensify its anti-colorum operations nationwide, and Acting Chairman Pua said the records that would be obtained from the online shopping platforms will be of big help in the goal of putting an end to the illegal truck-for-hire modus
