Truck tolls

Court rules against Rhode Island’s truck-only toll program

Truck near highway toll

A federal judge has ruled that Rhode Island’s truck-only “RhodeWorks” tolling program to pay for upgrading highway bridges across the state discriminates against heavy trucks and ordered the state to stop charging truckers under the system.

“Rhode Island has a legitimate — even compelling — interest in the maintenance of its ailing bridges,” wrote Rhode Island Federal District Court Judge William Smith in an order handed down Wednesday.

“But there is no reason that interest cannot be served by a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/court-rules-against-truck-only-tolling-in-rhode-island

FreightWaves Classics: Maine Turnpike carries traffic in the Pine Tree State

A rendering of a Maine Turnpike toll plaza. (Image: MTA)

Maine is the northeasternmost U.S. state. And while it looks huge on maps, it is the 12th-smallest by area. It also ranks 41st in population and is the 13th-least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. In fact, its population density is 41.3 people per square mile, which makes it the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, Maine was also the most rural state, with only 38.7% of its population living within urban areas.

Map of Maine.(Map: visitmaine.net)

However...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classics-maine-turnpike-carries-traffic-in-the-pine-tree-state

Arizona ports of entry tolls going cashless

All-electronic, cashless tolling will now be permanent for commercial vehicles at all international ports of entry in Arizona starting Jan. 1.

The move toward a fully cashless system will speed up transit crossings and curb the spread of COVID-19 through the exchange of currency, said Jason Sloan, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

“We have been getting a feel from the trucking industry on how much they would support this change and the feedback has been positive,”...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/arizona-ports-of-entry-tolls-going-cashless

Could truck crash resurrect Brent Spence Bridge expansion project?

A billion-dollar bridge project put on hold due to lack of funding could get renewed attention in the aftermath of a truck crash that threatens to keep a major U.S. freight corridor closed for weeks.

The accident occurred at approximately 2:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday on the Brent Spence Bridge, which carries Interstate 75 and Interstate 71 traffic over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. A northbound truck jackknifed on the bridge’s lower deck, according to the Kentucky...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/could-truck-crash-resurrect-brent-spence-bridge-expansion-project

Rhode Island truck-only tolls staying in effect for now

A request by several parties, including the American Trucking Associations (ATA), to temporarily block Rhode Island’s truck-only tolls was denied by a federal court late last week. 

Rhode Island Federal District Court Judge William Smith said in his ruling that the decision was a “close call.”

The suit challenging the tolls was first brought by a group that included not only the ATA but gasoline retailer Cumberland Farms, M&M Transport Services and the now-defunct LTL carrier New England Motor...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rhode-island-truck-only-tolls-staying-in-effect-for-now

User fee study reveals cost penalty for fuel-efficient trucks

The nation’s first multi-state mileage-based user fee (MBUF) truck pilot project concluded that using one rate for all trucks can put fuel-efficient trucks at a disadvantage when it comes to paying for roads and bridges.

The results of the study, released Tuesday by the Eastern Transportation Coalition (formerly the I-95 Corridor Coalition), are to be used to assess the MBUF as an alternative to raising federal diesel taxes and other approaches to funding transportation infrastructure.

“Though...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/user-fee-study-reveals-cost-penalty-for-fuel-efficient-trucks