Truckers and Toll Roads

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AJMD429
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Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by AJMD429 »

Indiana wants to increase tolls on a highway up north "but only for semi-trucks"....what kind of toll road fees do 'semi-trucks' pay as opposed to regular vehicles...?

I get the 'user-fee' vs 'income-tax' debate, but in this case the revenues are going for rural internet and 'bike trails'. Seems fairer to make the internet users and bicyclists pay user fees or tolls, though.

Anyway, I was curious - when I drop $1.50 at a toll booth, what's the trucker behind me going to have to pay...?
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Sixgun »

Doc,
Truckers pay HUGE fees. I've loaded these guys for 43 years and I used to hear horror stories. For instance, the tractor needs a special decal for each state they drive through and these are several hundred dollars a year...each....Turnpike fees are 10x what regular people pay.

I'm afraid to think what Griff pays as he hits every state.

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JerryB
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by JerryB »

Just another tax on American citizens making a living.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by fordwannabe »

I quit driving truck about 2003 after the summer between my first year of nursing school at that time the pa pike was just about 10x what I paid in a car for the same distance. In New York at the Tappan Zee bridge cars paid nothing while a truck was IIRC $ 10. The big scam, and I don’t know if they still do it or not, if you drove from our yard near Allentown to Massachusetts and just pulling numbers here it was 50 miles in Pa, then 100 miles in New Jersey then another 100 in Connecticut. Even if you bought your fuel in Pa before you left, you had to settle up with New Jersey for th fuel tax you would have used for the gallons your truck would require for the 100 miles. Same for Connecticut. You had to pay whatever the fuel tax was for the miles you drove even if you didn’t buy fuel in the State. As to taxing the trucks on the highway North of you well yeah because they figure a large percentage of those trucks are from another State. On PA we pay crazy registration fees for our license plates to support Public transportation on the big cities because it is not self sustaining. Wait I have to pay extra for my car and my truck plates for public transportation which if I am buying plates for a car and truck pretty much means I am not using public transportation right?
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by GunnyMack »

Lets not forget that a professional trucker gets paid by the mile, they also have to pay many high tolls, not to mention a lot of diesel fuel, it's a wonder that anyone continues to drive trucks! The only way they can make a living is to put many miles behind them everyday.
The American consumer goes about their lives blissfully ignorant of the fact that truckers keep our great land well fed and retail products on the shelves. Not to mention the fact that when an accident with a truck occurs it is ALWAYS the truckers fault. Darn commuters are the worst drivers!
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by crs »

IIRC,
The reason for charging trucks more than cars was that the heavy trucks cause much more wear and tear on the roads than cars.
Exactly how much more may depend upon which study is referenced.

Trucking in America seems to be in great demand if the reports of a shortage of long haul drivers are correct. The last such report that I saw said there are plenty of drivers making themselves available, but many are rejected due to failing drug tests.

This appears to be another many faceted problem for US freight transportation. Self driving vehicles might solve the driver shortage but not the problems of overcrowded roads and failing road infrastructure.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Griff »

Actually, Indiana doesn't want to increase tolls on I80... since they SOLD that road to Australia (actually a group of investors, the majority of which is Australian, or so sez the scuttlebutt). As soon as that sale was complete, (2005 IIRC) the truck rate on it jumped from $16.00 to $32.00, with a coupla small increases since. After their last tax increase on diesel, I can now buy fuel cheaper in IL... and OH, MI, & KY. The last time I used the Ind Toll Road, it was being patched... not repaired, just patched... which are often worse that the pothole they're fillin' in. The only benefit to the IND Tollway is speed... and the depletion of it's users pockets. The rate for me entering at Lake Station and exiting at the OH line is $39.50... that's for 140 miles of travel, (.282/mile).

In comparison, the OH Turnpike from IN to Youngstown, OH costs me $48.50, a 232 mile trip, (.209/mile). The OH Turnpike has huge rest areas, with great concessionaires, lots of eatery choices (during the day), and provides FREE showers. IN, well, in comparison, I ain't getting squat for my money. US 20 is a prettier drive, with a coupla old fashioned truck stops still limpin' along, with their better food, (if one believes that just about anything freshly prepared is better than "fast food")... the last thing someone who sits on their kiester all day needs is a burger & fries!
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by marlinman93 »

What's a toll road? ;)
We don't have them here …..yet.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by earlmck »

marlinman93 wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:09 am What's a toll road? ;)
We don't have them here …..yet.
I had heard rumors of such things: even got bit by one many years ago on a bikin' trip to baja.

So we've got 'em here in this country?
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by 2ndovc »

I certainly don't mind spending a few dollars to take the OH turnpike. It's very well maintained and every year they rebuild two, ten mile sections along with other repairs. The weather extremes we have really give a beating to our roads, especially in the northern half of the state. If you have an easy pass it's discounted and even easier to get off and on. When it's snowing, those boys and girls really know how to keep it clear and running as smoothly as possible.

jb 8)
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Blaine »

marlinman93 wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:09 am What's a toll road? ;)
We don't have them here …..yet.
OR and WA want to charge us per mile for every mile we drive on any road. So, EVERY road will be a toll road. OR has been testing this with a group of drivers. "They" say they will drop the gas tax, but you know that's a load of pelosi...
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Mossyoak1957
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Mossyoak1957 »

I don't know what truckers pay here in PA. but it has to be ridiculous when I take my 30 foot camper to deer camp it costs me $21.50 to go 110 miles our tolls go up every year.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by marlinman93 »

BlaineG wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:55 pm
marlinman93 wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:09 am What's a toll road? ;)
We don't have them here …..yet.
OR and WA want to charge us per mile for every mile we drive on any road. So, EVERY road will be a toll road. OR has been testing this with a group of drivers. "They" say they will drop the gas tax, but you know that's a load of pelosi...
I laughed when I saw on the local news that they were asking for volunteers to test their "by the mile" charge for driving roads. I wonder who might be stupid enough to volunteer to help the state charge us more money to drive? And I also wondered how they'd run this program for all the older cars without computers? Pretty sure 3 of my cars would not be able to support their system.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Ray »

In my state, there are a total of four toll roads/bridges. None of the four affect either interstate or major city to city traffic. With the exception of a few hundreds of affected residents and businesses there are older and strangely, even newer redundant free ways to go.

On a business trip I heard of an accident caused serious back-up ahead on a radio traffic report, I avoided the delay by taking the toll exit and paying $1.75. Mine was the only car that I could see in either direction. I had to knock on the toll booth window to wake-up the attendant, and she was quite surprised to see a customer at that time of day.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Griff »

marlinman93 wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 4:59 pm
BlaineG wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 1:55 pm
marlinman93 wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:09 amWhat's a toll road? ;)
We don't have them here …..yet.
OR and WA want to charge us per mile for every mile we drive on any road. So, EVERY road will be a toll road. OR has been testing this with a group of drivers. "They" say they will drop the gas tax, but you know that's a load of pelosi...
I laughed when I saw on the local news that they were asking for volunteers to test their "by the mile" charge for driving roads. I wonder who might be stupid enough to volunteer to help the state charge us more money to drive? And I also wondered how they'd run this program for all the older cars without computers? Pretty sure 3 of my cars would not be able to support their system.
Truckers pay their OR road use tax by the mile... they used to be $0.13/mi just a few years ago... after they passed the law requiring the attendant to pump your fuel, they went to $0.1638/mi, (even tho' truck stops were exempt, I still have to pump my own fuel), and since Jan 1, they're up to $0.2048/mi. Or, I can not pay that, and pay it per gallon of fuel... but it increases the price at the pump upwards of 45¢/gal.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by marlinman93 »

The rest of the drivers pay a gas tax too, and depending on your car's mileage and miles driven, it can be pretty hefty. Nobody gets away except those electric cars, and hybrids. But the various states have begun to make rumblings about taxing those electrics and hybrids every year too. And the pay per mile scenario is an attempt to make them pay their share also. After all, they use the highways, and wear them out just like a gas engine. So I think the electric/hybrids should be paying by the mile, regardless of who else does.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by Larkbill »

The authorities have done a pretty good job of making trucking so complicated the average Joe that might want to go it alone has to be VERY determined.

First of all you have to buy a plate for your tractor. In many states, like Mo where I live, you can't just walk in to the DMV and buy it. Oh no, if you want it in less than a couple weeks you have to drive to the capitol and pick it up. But wait. You're not done there yet.

You still have to apply for and receive operating authority. You have to prove you're properly licensed and insured to be on the road and possibly even show proof of financial ability to operate. Depends on your record and the individual bureaucrat you're dealing with.

Next you'll need to enroll in IFTA. This is how each state you drive through gets their fair share of the road/fuel taxes you should have paid. It's offset by the fuel you actually buy. You can imagine what the filings for this look like. But wait again. A couple states chose not to participate in IFTA. So your IFTA filing takes care of Canada but not Oregon or Kentucky. More forms and taxes.

Ever notice those spiffy orange New York stickers on the left front of many tractors. Yep. They don't give those away.

We won't even begin to talk about the new electronic logging requirements.

I went into trucking to finish my working career at age 59, last two years as a local driver for a specialty equipment company. I'll be 67 at retirement in 3 mos. and pretty glad to see it in my rearview mirror. You young guys can figure out if it's worth it, but it was a saving choice to get me to retirement. I'll be praying for you all.
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by AJMD429 »

GunnyMack wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 4:48 am Lets not forget that a professional trucker gets paid by the mile, they also have to pay many high tolls, not to mention a lot of diesel fuel, it's a wonder that anyone continues to drive trucks! The only way they can make a living is to put many miles behind them everyday.
The American consumer goes about their lives blissfully ignorant of the fact that truckers keep our great land well fed and retail products on the shelves. Not to mention the fact that when an accident with a truck occurs it is ALWAYS the truckers fault. Darn commuters are the worst drivers!
SO many parallels with 'health care'....the citizenry is getting SCREWED....!
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by AJMD429 »

I certainly don't mind 'user fees' and paying for infrastructure on actual USE, but a side-effect is the gathering of 'data that politicians and bureaucrats sell and misuse for personal gain.... :evil:
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Re: Truckers and Toll Roads

Post by GunnyMack »

You said it Doc!
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