Virginia lawmakers have introduced twin bills that would put tolls on I-81. While they can’t technically be called “truck-only tolls,” it seems the legislation was deliberately crafted to raise an estimated $150 million per year almost exclusively off of heavy truck traffic.
Bills were introduced in both the Virginia Senate and House of Representatives. The bills have bipartisan support. There were introduced and sponsored by Republicans and supported by Virginia’s Democratic Governor, Ralph Northam.
They call for the construction of new over-head toll gantries along I-81. The tolls would initially be 11 cents per mile for cars (class 4 and under) and 17 cents per mile for trucks (class 5 and over).
But the bills have multiple giveaways for car drivers and none at all for truckers.
For example, in a giveaway to commuters (in-state voters), cars won’t need to pay for the first gantry they pass through in each direction every day. Since the gantries would be about 50 miles apart, that means cars could theoretically travel as much as 196 miles round-trip every day without having to pay a dime. That rule doesn’t apply to truckers.
If a car driver needs to travel more than that, they will be able to buy an annual pass which allows them unlimited access to I-81 for an entire year for only around $30. Truckers won’t be allowed to buy an annual pass.
So, while it may not technically be a truck-only toll proposal, the transportation industry is still treating it like one. The ATA wrote a letter to the Governor, warning that the tolls would “raise serious legal issues.” The carrier group is currently involved in a lawsuit against Rhode Island over their allegedly discriminatory truck-only tolls.
Business groups are joining the transportation industry in opposition of the bills. Toll critics are claiming that adding tolls will have a negative impact on local economies and individual businesses that depend on traffic traveling I-81.
“This is a litmus test for us,” said Virginia Manufacturers Association CEO Brett Vassey according to the Associated Press. “If you want more manufacturing, you’ll find an alternative funding other than tolling. If you want less manufacturing, put the tolls on 81.”
Even some politicians are pushing back against the tolls. Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke proposed a wholesale gas tax increase to 5 percent instead of new tolls. His proposal would put a proportional burden on local car traffic and trucks alike. As a result, he says it would bring in $850 million annually instead of the $150 million raised by the proposed tolling plan.
Ricci Logan says
I guess the politicians aren’t able to rob other areas to pay for all the benefits for illegals….just like SS which is broke, there will tons of excuses and the ones to suffer for gov programs are the taxpayers
Peter says
You do understand SS is a federal program and it’s not broke nor does it pay for illegal aliens. At some point the amount of workers contributing to SS will decrease while the amount of people getting benefits increasing as more and more people retire.
James Allen Oglesby says
Th “Ss is broke” argument is right wing bull… sucka.
Robert says
Heres a novel idea for you idiots in government. Try not stealing from funds that are ment to pay for highways and roads and you will have money to repair them. Why should the trucking industry pay for all the roads when we are not the only ones using them. You criminals in government can steal money from this fund and pay for your hairbrained ideas but god forbid you use it for what its for. F you and your tolls ill go around them
Walter Larkin jr says
Good idea Robert. But last week it was posted that they where going to put cameras up to catch drivers avoiding toll’s and get a hefty ticket.
Sher says
Alright then refuse to run loads that way..East Coast sucks anyway, screw them.
James Allen Oglesby says
That’s right… Don’t run that highway. Or just don’t take freight that won’t easily cover the tolls.
Florida Native says
You can’t get a ticket for avoiding tolls. Unless you cover your license plate. You can use a back road (aka US1 or A1A) That’s what the truckers in Florida do.
Chris says
You can’t get a ticket for avoiding tolls. Sorry man
Chucklehead says
I would like to see sick a case in which there was a successful prosecution of a toll avoidance case.
Luke Warm says
No cameras in KY and OH.
Cote says
In all honesty they can’t do that without making Route 11 a restricted route then in return they would loose all federal funding for that road.
Gman says
I would go around , unless they post every major side side road ? And since when are we told where we can drive unless its posted ? This is still a free country correct ? Well kind of
Sean says
This seems like the usual. Everyone wants a benefit but nobody wants to pay for it. We as truckers should just start boycotting all these areas..then see what happens.
David sta says
Every one should support the stoppage in April I was in the truckers strik in 1970 an they got everything they wanted you just have to stand together. An don’t think your trucking co. Is going to fire you what are they going to do fire all 100 to 900 people they just can’t do it.
David says
Thank God I’m retired now, but I agree with you, only problem being is that there are a lot of truckers out there that aren’t even citizens any more. And a lot of those that are don’t have a clue seeing the company pays for it. When RI first came up with the truck only toll, I said every one should just boycott the State. That would have ended it right there, when their state comes to a complete stop.
Joseph Dawson says
I agree with you David, but only if we truckers would only come together 👍
Chucklehead says
Why? Just let your company pay the toll. I certainly don’t avoid them.
Luke Warm says
Excess expenses are money’s that will never end up in your paycheck. So when your company says it can’t afford to give you a raise remember all those tolls and the extra 20 a gallon and up you pay to get free showers and points.
Jeff says
Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are Democratic States for one and two these states have mismanaged funds notoriously for years. Bleeding the states dry. Why on earth would we give them another source to absorb from (to put it nicely) when they cant even appropriately appropriate funds. I think in order to approve any Tolling a federal law body should look at every states books in depth. After finding descrepencies which they will.
Robert says
You have mis stated facts concerning Va politics. It is now and has been for most of the last fifty years controlled by republicians. Recently its govemors have been Democrats as are its senators.
The state has road issues as do every other state and efforts to assure a transporration system that is safe for all users is expensive to build and maintain.
Cote says
All will pay as the price to move freight prices will go up.
Gman says
Dont forget New York even the average citizens dont want them , tax everything 2 ,3 times 4 , maybe we”ll all be dumb enough to just keep paying right .
BadInfluence says
Sounds good in theory David but you know as well as I do that a massive shutdown in the trucking industry is never going to happen. That kind of action has been talked about for about as long as I’ve been driving and that’s 36 years now and it’s never happened and never will at least on the scale that would have any impact on the states or the countries economy to make them pay attention to us. Robert has it right, these states governments divert funds from one thing to pay for another and when they need it for what it was intended for there no money to pay for it then states look for a cash cow (trucking industry) to pay for it. OOIDA is still involved with the lawsuit against the PA Turnpike Authority because the Turnpike rates keep increasing to what they say is 3 times the reasonable amount for road usage there.(Cash Cow). They want tolls? Fine then don’t run anything into the state for under $10 a mile. Somethings gotta give, cant keep charging us without it being passed onto the consumer somewhere. There should be a minimum mileage rate implemented just like there is a minimum wage say $2.50 a mile minimum per mile or more. That will cover their tolls.
Drifter says
I thought it was illegal to make an existing highway a toll road. If this happens, you can see a lot of truck traffic diverted to other routes. I ran I-81 a lot because it was shorter, but i’ll Take the longer route just to get away from paying an ILLEGAL toll to a Communist state.
Earl Chauncey says
will east cost will serve any way because the company’s will pay that toll any way so just take loads that cover that cost you just got to pass it on and keep rolling. It dose suck I use Hwy 81 all the time now but i’ll find a new rout until that cost is cover for me
Max says
Me thinks more than the camel’s nose has sneaked into the tent!
I suspect you will see most of the mid atlantic and NE states to adopt some form of truck only tolls, only to be followed by western states. California is looking to charge vehicles registered in the Los Angeles area an annual tag renewal fee based on miles driven. It’s not hard to see them putting a toll on trucks for I-5, I-15 and I-80.
But they will give a break to truckers driving one of Elon (PT Barnum) Musk’s electric trucks with solar panels.
I don’t see this getting better.
Flacrkr says
It seems to me that government never looks to take money from existing useless or wasteful programs to pay for something but always want to tax more. When I was a one man o/o it seemed like I was overburdened with taxes. Now they want even more.
Charles says
Give the wealthiest and corporations unneccessary tax breaks, and skip infrastructor. Now, there will be bills to pay and if you think the dwindling middle-class wont bear whats coming to pay for the tax cuts, you havent been paying attention to the results of the previous 30 years of tax cuts.
Elmer Baker says
all you people ever want to do is take the truck drivers money you think we make a lot of money but as a company driver you don’t make much money by the time Uncle Sam takes most of your money you have nothing left and as an owner operator which I know some they don’t make a lot of money by the time they fix your truck stop by their pass by this by that and all that other stuff there’s no money left all you damn government people want to do is just take take take do not sit but not give back
SJ says
The interstate highway system was built with federal money. States should have no right to toll roads they didn’t build. This problem needs to be addressed in congress, so take the time to write your reps. in DC.
Torrain Benton says
They need to Just pass a bill in the federal lawmaking office for all trucks to be shut down for a week or two to help the truck strike begin against all these anti trucking law makers and $$ greedy government and customer businesses thats against the American truck drivers and the trucking industry
Thundercat says
At the end that would just be paid by consumer , since no trucker would like to haul freight for free, that would force an increase on freight bills, wich at the end it’s all paid by consumer. Does not make any sense.
Kevin Chevalier says
profiling industries, extorting money from the very people who constitute the
backbone of our economy (biting the hand that feeds you)
Jason lyons says
Everyone talks about strikes but everyone knows trucks can’t come together well enough to shut down nationwide.
What they can do is strike targeted areas until they stop bad practices. I floated the idea of an app designed to target one particular area at a time and got chewed out for the idea. Truckers would vote then all member would strike that one area for a week to correct the behavior while running every other part of the country so as to not loose a dime while fixing the problem.
Let’s see the crap slinging I get this time
Kevin Chevalier says
Even if half of them would shut down they’d feel it
Mack says
I thought the Interstate network was built by the Federal Government for easy and fast troop and cargo movement across this land. It was paid for by the American taxpayer already, wasn’t it? I realize that each individual State has to maintain their patch of the network, but the original purpose of this network hasn’t officially changed into a “revenue tool” for the different States, has it? If the Federal Gov allows it, then all the other States will follow suit. In the end the Joe and Jane public will pay, for it through higher prices at the cash register of their favorite retail store. The State politicians know that, but they could care less. What’s important to them is having more of our money to spend in the immediate.
Kevin Chevalier says
Everyone who uses the road should be accountable (EVERYONE)
their using truck weight as a reason, there’s twice as many 4 wheelers
as there are trucks
kc says
So when commerce going into Virginia is cut drastically and shortages start I guess the state will get its answer then how its going to workout for them. That state already has some really stupid laws and policies why not try and add another. Never see me up there.
Steven Stark says
Fine…
But Virginia MUST add toll plazas with parking for 300+ trucks.
Just as they do on I80 or I76.
David says
Just another example of your government trying to fix a problem it created! Put it on the working . We pay fuel tax at the pump,we pay ifta tax , we pay weight distance tax, we pay f.e.t. And we pay other taxes and tolls which are more expensive for trucks. These taxes are to be used to rebuild the roads but, they’ll pull the funds out and put it in the “general fund “to do other projects, then when it comes time to repair or start a new road , the funds are not available. The solution for them is to add more taxes to the working class to cover the cost. Really, they should be indicted for misdirected public funds.
ron says
Robert, you cracked me up! and so right.
Marc says
I’ll never buy a house, further my education , buy a car, have a kid , get married , get loans, nor any other long term commitments/ contracts. Thanks to the commenwealth/ goverment insurity
Tez says
I propose a boycott on the country not just a certain area and maybe they will stop robbing us drivers do to some bill they sit behind their desk and make up. We pay highway tax every week but yet ride on bad roads. If you gone steal the money at least leave some to fix the roads instead of coming up with more ways to rob the ones that moves this country.