Hills Vs tolls?

Look at the fuel burn first.

Add the toll.

Then run the route off toll back and look at your fuel burn vs hills. It should come out the same. I use the Thruway all the time. Tolls or burn fuel? Comes out the same cost within a few dollars in my time. Its also eliminates the US 20 law enforcement harrassment, and small towns with one particular 30 mile detour around one with a low bridge.

 

In the warmer months I would do that no problem. This time of year I would probably stick to the Thruway and eat the toll.

NY-17 between Binghamton and I-87 was supposed to be upgraded to an Interstate route (86), but they must have put that on the back burner at some point. It gets dicey in the winter. Mileage and time are about a wash.

One thing you will also need to consider is HUT miles in NY State are I believe a separate road tax that is levied on miles driven off the tolled Thruway system, so if I am remembering all this correctly you either end up paying one or the other and I am not sure how that math would shake out. They get you coming or going in that part of the country and it may not be worth the hassle to try and get clever with it.

 

Unless absolutely necessary - tolls are against my financial beliefs. It's a principle thing .

 

Is there a time penalty that makes a difference (reload times, additional loads possible, etc)? If not, the fuel penalty depends mostly on how the driver drives the hills.

 

So I don't want to ask the obvious but did you attempt to find any load that can be put on the truck going anywhere towards the shipper along the toll route to offset the cost of the tolls?

Look having an empty truck seems to be a bad idea, while there should be something that can be put on that truck to off set the losses to make that return trip with some revenue.

 

Used to get empty (Either Eggs or Butter from Maryland) at Albany Sysco or Grand Union. Then race to Akzo Salt to load in Finger Lakes via Binghampton. Akzo loads first come first served going south to Md or VA in bagged salt so its worth the few hours empty.

If the truck stayed the course for 5 or 6 days at most starting sunday morning, it's a 2000 dollar week revenue to it, 25% to me in the late 80's Which accounting for inflation would be about a 3800 week and around 900+

 

pretty much what I was going to say, I had with hut and ifta it almost washes out, especially with those hills, especially between deposit and Monticello, there’s 4-5 hills your are going to have to actually climb, but there’s a lot of smaller ones that will still burn more fuel.

I do like running 17, it’s a bit easier once you get out west of bingo, dollars and sense wise I doubt your really saving or spending more going either route

we were permitted for 107k in ny, and going to Stanley ny landfill from The ct line I would easily burn an extra 20 gallons on fuel running out 17 and up 54(?) then the toll road

 

Id run 84 to scranton then 81. No toll if youre staying on west side of the river. $12 going EB over newburgh bridge with 5 axles. Headed WB the bridge is free im pretty sure.

I definitely wouldnt choose 17 over 84 in winter

 

I literally hate paying tolls, and like hilly and curvy roads better anyway. lol
I would probably not do the tolls if it just equalled out.