TABS booking for port trucks in Manila: fees, slots and penalties

A summary, not legal advice. Checked October 7, 2026.

TABS, the Terminal Appointment Booking System, is the online appointment a container truck needs to pick up or drop off at Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and Manila South Harbor. The broker, forwarder, importer, exporter or shipping line books a one-hour slot in 1-Stop, and the truck must arrive within that slot's grace period or the booking pays a penalty.

Our guide "Truck ban hours explained for small trucking fleets" covers port appointments in a few paragraphs. This one goes further: who books, what each slot costs, the hour-by-hour demand zones, every penalty, what happens to a truck with no appointment, and how dispatch can plan trips around the slots.

What is TABS booking?

TABS went live on September 1, 2015 at MICT, run by ICTSI, and at South Harbor, run by Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI). PortCalls reported that the system was set up by the Australian IT company 1-Stop, and ATI's marketing manager compared it to an airline reservation: the truck arrives as scheduled and gets prompt service. Bookings are made against container numbers, not against a truck.

The rules come from the Philippine Ports Authority. PPA Administrative Order No. 06-2018, dated May 8, 2018 and in effect from May 24, 2018, covers the delivery and withdrawal of cargo, including empty containers being repositioned, at South Harbor and MICT. It also makes the terminal operators remit 20% of their TABS gross revenue to the PPA. A search of the PPA's issuances on October 7, 2026 still showed it as the only TABS order.

MICT describes TABS as an online platform that lets trucking companies schedule specific slots for container pickups and drop-offs. In its March 25, 2024 release, MICT chief operating officer Christian Lozano said it helps clients plan their trips and helps the terminal assign its resources.

Who must book a TABS slot?

The PPA order is addressed to cargo owners, brokers, truckers and shipping lines. ATI's TABS user's guide says brokers, forwarders, importers and exporters, and shipping lines can register at 1-stop.com.ph. Registration asks for a copy of the company's BIR Form 2303, and ATI suggests no more than two users per company. In ATI's own steps, the consignee or broker books, and the truck the broker assigns simply has to show up on time.

So if you only haul, you will usually receive a booking rather than make one. A slot can only be booked once the cargo is ready. Under the PPA order, an import pickup needs the terminal to have received the Bureau of Customs' Online Release System instruction, and an export drop-off needs the shipping line's pre-advice notice. ATI adds that an import pickup can be booked once the container is cleared by customs and the port and carrier charges are paid.

Booking itself takes four steps in ATI's guide: log in to 1-Stop, upload the container numbers, search for time slots, and drag each container onto a zone. You have 15 minutes to pick the zones before you confirm.

How much is the TABS booking fee?

Under PPA Administrative Order No. 06-2018, slots are free except in the medium and high demand zones. The fees, the same at South Harbor and MICT, are:

• Free demand zone: no charge.
• Medium demand zone: ₱300 per booking.
• High demand zone: ₱500 per booking.
• Rebate zone, every Sunday: a rebate of 300 points, where one point equals ₱1, which can be used against other booking charges.

The rebate is earned only on time: at South Harbor when the truck arrives within the 3-hour arrival window, and at MICT when it arrives within the 1-hour booked slot. There is also a double transaction incentive: book an export or empty drop-off, and the matching import pickup is free. A slot can be changed any time until its zone starts, but a paid booking fee is not refunded.

So, is TABS free? Partly. Plenty of slots cost nothing, and Sundays pay you back. Fees have moved before: MICT's 2016 points scheme charged ₱1,000 for a high zone slot, according to PortCalls. The PPA can also review and adjust the demand zones, so confirm the current fee in 1-Stop or with your broker.

Which hours fall in which zone? The order divides each day into 24 one-hour slots. As published in 2018:

• MICT, Tuesday to Friday: high from 6 AM to 10 AM and from 5 PM to 10 PM; medium from 4 AM to 6 AM, 10 AM to 11 AM and 4 PM to 5 PM; free from 11 AM to 4 PM and from 10 PM to 4 AM.
• MICT, Monday: the same, except 6 AM to 10 AM is medium instead of high.
• MICT, Saturday: medium from 4 AM to 11 AM and from 4 PM to 10 PM; free the rest of the day.
• South Harbor, Monday to Saturday: high from 6 AM to 10 AM and from 5 PM to 10 PM; medium from 4 AM to 6 AM, 10 AM to 11 AM and 4 PM to 5 PM; free from 11 AM to 4 PM and from 10 PM to 4 AM.
• Both terminals, Sunday: every slot is a rebate slot.

What happens if the truck is early, late or a no-show?

The order says the truck should arrive at its booked slot, then allows a grace period. A truck that arrives within it is on time and pays no penalty.

• MICT, all bookings: from 2 hours before to 2 hours after the booked slot. Arriving more than 2 hours early or more than 2 hours late costs ₱1,625. Arriving more than 3 hours late, or not at all, is a no-show at ₱3,251.
• South Harbor, high demand slots: 1 hour before to 3 hours after. A no-show, more than 3 hours late or not at all, costs ₱1,625.50.
• South Harbor, medium demand slots: 1 hour before to 2 hours after. Late by more than 2 hours costs ₱1,625.50; a no-show, more than 3 hours late, costs ₱3,251.
• South Harbor, free slots: 1 hour before to 1 hour after. Late by more than 1 hour costs ₱1,625.50; a no-show, more than 2 hours late, costs ₱3,251.
• South Harbor, Sunday rebate slots: no penalty.

After a no-show, the terminals differ. At MICT, a truck that arrives after incurring the no-show penalty is still served without rebooking. At South Harbor, a truck that arrives within 2 hours after becoming a no-show is still accepted, but anything later must be rebooked. Export containers arriving early are not charged the early penalty, and the PPA General Manager may suspend late penalties in exceptional circumstances and no-show penalties for force majeure.

What happens to a truck without a TABS appointment?

At MICT, it does not get served. Since October 4, 2021, MICT has run a slot reservation and activation system: a customer can reserve a slot in 1-Stop up to 7 days ahead, and the system activates the reservation 6 hours before the booked slot. A reservation only counts once activated. A truck that reaches the gate before activation is treated as without a TABS appointment, is not served, and must pay a pass-thru fee before it can leave. MICT's advisory summed it up: no activated booking, no entry.

Since August 17, 2023, a truck that enters MICT without a valid transaction pays a ₱5,000 Unauthorized Entry Fine under PPA Memorandum Circular No. 007-2023. The circular says the fine is shouldered by the erring driver or trucking company and must not be passed on to the shipper, and PPA Memorandum Circular No. 011-2023 added it to the MICT and South Harbor tariff for MICT only. PortCalls reported that in January 2023, nine trucks, or 0.23% of the average 3,803 a day, incurred the earlier pass-thru fee, and that missing pre-advice and missing TABS bookings were among the main violations.

How does MICT check a truck at the gate?

People search for "TABS verification", and at the gate it comes down to the plate, the driver and the gate pass. The PPA order requires brokers, truckers and shipping lines to update the truck plate numbers in each booking, because the plates are used for monitoring. The booked truck may be swapped for another any time before it enters the terminal.

In September 2023 MICT added Truck Manifesting to TABS. It lets you submit the booking details, truck plate number and driver information in advance, so at the gate only valid plates, drivers and gate passes are confirmed before entry. It also opens a matching drop-off slot automatically when a pickup container is booked. MICT also runs Kalakbay Rewards, where truck drivers earn points for successful transactions and swap them for e-vouchers.

Does TABS apply at Manila North Harbor?

Not that we could find. The PPA order covers only South Harbor and MICT. In 2017 the PPA board planned to extend TABS to Manila North Harbor and Harbour Centre, and the Philippine Liner Shipping Association opposed it, saying North Harbor had no congestion problem and booking fees and penalties would add cost. We found no notice that TABS runs at North Harbor, operated by MNHPI, as of October 7, 2026. Ask the terminal before your first run there.

How can dispatch plan trips around TABS slots?

• Get the booking details with every port job: terminal, container number, pickup or drop-off, slot date and hour, and zone.
• Send the truck plate and driver to whoever holds the booking before the truck leaves, and again if you swap trucks. A swap is allowed until gate-in.
• Work back from the slot. Add travel time, every truck ban window on the route and a queue buffer. At MICT you have 2 hours either side of the slot; at South Harbor a free slot gives you only 1 hour after.
• Never send a truck to MICT before the booking activates, 6 hours before the slot. Early by more than 2 hours also draws the ₱1,625 early penalty.
• Pair a drop-off with a pickup when you can. The import pickup becomes free and the truck does not run an empty leg.
• Ask clients for free or Sunday slots when their schedule allows. From 11 AM to 4 PM on weekdays, slots are free at both terminals.
• Record the actual gate arrival time on every trip, so you can show who caused a late or no-show charge.
• Agree in writing who pays penalties caused by the client, such as cargo not yet released when the truck arrives.

Orvyn's Transport Management System (TMS) keeps each port trip on one record: client, pickup, drop-off, cargo, truck, driver and status, plus the driver's photo of the signed receipt at drop-off. It does not book TABS slots, connect to 1-Stop or show where the truck is, since it is not a GPS tracker. It gives dispatch and the client the same trip details, and delivered trips with proof attached are ready to bill. A demo is available.

Sources

• PPA Administrative Order No. 06-2018, Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), and the PPA issuances list, Philippine Ports Authority (ppa.com.ph). Checked October 7, 2026.
• PPA Memorandum Circular No. 007-2023 and No. 011-2023, Revised Schedule of Cargo Handling Tariffs at MICT and South Harbor, posted by MICT (mict.com.ph). Checked October 7, 2026.
• MICT Advisory No. 2021-1575, October 3, 2021, on the TABS Slot Reservation and Activation System (mict.com.ph). Checked October 7, 2026.
• MICT press release, March 25, 2024, Enhancing customer experience at PH premier port (mict.com.ph). Checked October 7, 2026.
• Asian Terminals Inc., TABS User's Guide (asianterminals.com.ph). Checked October 7, 2026.
• PortCalls, August 3, 2015, Manila ports switch to truck booking system Sept 1 (portcalls.com). Checked October 7, 2026.
• PortCalls, March 10, 2016, Implementing rules for TABS points scheme issued (portcalls.com). Checked October 7, 2026.
• PortCalls, July 31, 2017 and August 29, 2017, on extending TABS to Manila North Harbor (portcalls.com). Checked October 7, 2026.
• PortCalls, July 20, 2023, Trucks without business at MICT face P5K fine (portcalls.com). Checked October 7, 2026.