There are many factors that can affect profits for the trucking industry. Everything from fuel costs to maintenance expenditures can make a huge difference to the bottom line for trucking companies. So, when new tolls are announced it is not taken lightly.
Now for truck drivers who use I-90 and combined I-80 in Indiana, a route commonly referred to as the Indiana Toll Road there may soon be a significant rise in tolls. Revenue from the increase is expected to be used for infrastructure projects in the state.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb Tuesday announced a 35 percent increase on tolls for Class 3 and above trucks using the Indiana Toll Road, effective Oct. 5. A statement from Holcomb said the cash generated by the increase will be used to pay for a laundry list of infrastructure items. Holcomb expects the toll increase to generate $1 billion for the state.
On September 20 the Indiana Finance Authority is expected to vote on the issue of whether to amend its contract with the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company, the private firm that operates the toll road, in order to raise the toll rates. If approved, the new agreement would require the ITRCC to invest $50 million on upgrades to the toll road.
If the toll increase comes through tolls for Class 8 trucks traveling across the entirety of the state would jump from $44.50 to $60.07 with cash, or from $44.46 to $60.02 with E-ZPass.
As would be expected, the American Trucking Associations was quick to weigh in against the toll increase.
In a statement, ATA Vice President of Highway Policy Darrin Roth said, “This is just another example of how toll roads – particularly privatized ones – are bad for our economy and discriminate against the trucking industry,” “the state of Indiana and their private capital partners are using trucking as a piggy bank to fund all sorts of pork projects and subsidize many projects of no benefit to toll payers.”