Three freight carriers have banded together with the Oregon Trucking Association (OTA) to bring a civil lawsuit against the state, claiming truckers pay disproportionate highway taxes.
Combined Transport, A&M Transport, and Sherman Bros recently joined the OTR in an effort to level the playing field in what they call “unconstitutional overpayment.” The petition is also backed by Oregon State Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, who reportedly said the Legislature has effectively thumbed its nose at the state’s constitution by failing to “rebalance transportation taxes.”
“As a proud owner of a family-operated trucking business myself, I fully support the Oregon Trucking Association’s lawsuit against the state of Oregon for overpayment of weight mile taxes,” Boshart Davis reportedly said. “I urge my colleagues in the Legislature to consider future opportunities to resolve this injustice. The Oregon Department of Transportation estimates that freight trucks will overpay their fair share of transportation taxes by $193 million annually for the next two years.”
The Oregon constitution calls for all motorists to pay “fair and proportionate” highway taxes. The trend in recent years has been to vilify truckers for roads that have fallen into disrepair and air pollution. Rhode Island, for example, implemented a truck-only tolling system that was later struck down in federal court. Big rigs have also been a primary target of California bureaucrats, who now mandate zero-emission truck sales quotas.
In Oregon, some lawmakers indicated excessive tolls have been a tool to tamp down highway congestion despite the fact truckers deliver more than 70 percent of America’s goods and materials. Semi-trucks reportedly comprise only 15 percent of the vehicles using state roads and highways. According to the lawsuit, truck transportation outfits pay upwards of one-third of all road use taxes.
“By 2025, the trucking industry is expected to have overpaid by half a billion dollars. Trucking companies in Oregon simply cannot sustain paying the highest transportation taxes of any state in the country any longer,” OTA President & CEO Jana Jarvis reportedly said. “Meanwhile, trucking companies – most of which own fewer than five trucks – are forced to pass astronomical tax rates on to consumers, who end up paying more for household goods.”
The OTA president also fired a shot across the Oregon DOT’s bow. Going on the record stating that mom-and-pop operations were willing to pay their fair share, she pointed out major arteries need repairs. Jarvis noted that roadwork delays and failure to make improvements have left roads unsafe. The OTR represents 25,180 trucking companies that provide more than 101,000 good-paying jobs.
Sources:
https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-transportation-bill-tolls-infrastructure/
Leave a Comment