Truckers hauling loads across northern Indiana are in for a rude awakening come July 1. That’s when the Indiana Concession Company plans to hike rates on the 156.28-mile Indiana Toll Road to a staggering $158.83 for Class 7 and 8 commercial motor vehicles traveling the entire route.
Fondly known as Main Street of the Midwest, the tolled freeway stretches from the Illinois state line near Chicago all the way to Ohio. The recent charge adds an additional 10 percent to toll costs at a time when owner-operators and mom-and-pop fleets are struggling with record-high diesel prices.
Trucking organizations have long taken exception to the tiered rates that charge passenger vehicle owners a fraction of what truckers pay. Even with the 10-percent rate hike impacting 2-axel vehicles, the total cost of driving from Illinois to Ohio tallies $13.50 for cars and SUVs. The disparity reportedly prompted the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association to file a civil action against the Indiana Toll Road in 2019, after truckers were hit with a 35 percent toll increase.
The American Trucking Associations also filed a lawsuit in 2018 against Rhode Island, with Cumberland Farms, M&M Transport Services, and New England Motor Freight joining after the state installed truck-only tolls.
In a similar move, the Kentucky-Indiana Tolling Body announced it will increase RiverLink tolls starting July 1.
“New toll rates for three bridges connecting Louisville and Southern Indiana begin July 1, 2022. Rates will range from $2.40 to $14.38, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a prepaid account,” according to the Kentucky-Indiana Tolling Body. “Drivers with prepaid accounts in good standing and transponders pay the lowest toll rates and save more than $2 per crossing. In a passenger vehicle, the savings is 50 percent per crossing. The easiest way to maintain a positive account balance is by choosing auto-replenishment and linking the account to a valid payment method.”
Truckers can anticipate paying $11.98 with a prepaid account and transponder, $13.17 with only a prepaid account, or $14.38 cash. The tolling authority established its own policies, requiring it to raise rates by 2.5 percent each year or equal to the inflation rate, whichever is higher. Indiana Motor Truck Association president Gary Langston criticized the increase at a time when diesel crossed the $6-mark.
“It just seems to me that it’s a very inopportune time,” Langston reportedly said. “It’s so frustrating that, regardless of what the economic situation looks like, people just keep piling on more expense. It’s just hard to manage.”
As of May 2021, only Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Hawaii did not have highway tolling systems. Florida reportedly has the most tolled miles in the U.S.
Sources: indianatollroad.com, riverlink.com, landline.com, wdrb.com
That’s why I run rt. 30. They can stick the toll road.
Guess they’ll be in for a rude awakening when trucks stop using it
They’ll be in for a rude awake when truckers stop delivering to their state!
For one week, run all trucks across 30. The traffic jams will make them reconsider.
Time sensitive freight and towns , traffic lights will lower your income
I’ve run back and forth across 30 for years once they began this ridiculousness and while it adds some time admittedly. It doesn’t add enough time to factor in that you’re making up nearly $160 in actual profits not revenue. Youll need to be gaining roughly .50 in actual profit per mile to make up the dollar deficit without time factored. However if you believe so just do your math, the numbers won’t lie if figured correctly. Plus you can always use a select portion of each to reduce cost and gain back a bit of time. Peace, be safe, be profitable, give back.
At a time when you don’t have enough truck drivers, you decide to raise a toll. When they set at home, because they can’t make a living then you would reconsider. Everything is going up except there wages.
That’s what happens when u sell road to foreigners thank Mike penis donnys butt boy
You OK bro?
Truckers all need to park their trucks for 3 weeks and then these pen pushers will realize what recession means when we grind the economy to a halt- literally!
I’m with you brother. We should all band together like that once before a long time ago and remind them ALL just what happens when they piss all over truckers in general.
This is the reason they made unions for truckers illegal — they knew what could happen, so couldn’t afford to have us all unite against them and what they’ve been doing to us all. They’ve worked feverishly to keep us splintered ever since.
Keep dreaming , you can’t get two truckers to agree on anything it’s a back stabbing culture.
Thought it was only the north east?