The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to deny a request by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to toll Interstate 80.
The association sent a letter Wednesday
to Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Federal Highway Administrator Richard Capka, which was jointly signed with the American Trucking Associations, American Highway Users Alliance and the National Association of Truck Stop Operators.
"We need to do a gut check on how current resources are being used before being asked to step up to the plate and pay more for a system of financing that we are beginning to question and 'trust' today," said Mike Joyce, of OOIDA's government affairs staff. "Responsible use of current resources should be the priority. Unfortunately, there are too many elected and government officials that continue to pour more water into a broken bucket, instead of fixing the hole in the bottom of the bucket."
The letter is one of several steps OOIDA has taken during the past several months against tolling I-80. "Truckers who merely drive through Pennsylvania, not just those who reside there, already contribute a great deal financially through a myriad of taxes and fees. And although heavy-duty trucks account for less than 10 percent of our nation's highway traffic, they contribute at least 36 percent of the money going into the Federal Highway Trust Fund, money that makes its way back to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," added Joyce.
Small business truckers typically pay in excess of $16,000 in federal and state taxes, fuel taxes, highway user fees and licensing and registration fees. Whether the truck is base-plated in another state or not, they pay taxes on each mile they drive in each state, and may pay an annualized percentage of their base-plate fees. Those residing in Pennsylvania may pay $17,000 or more in fees and taxes per year because it has the highest diesel fuel tax in the country at $.381 cents per gallon.
"The decision of truck drivers to use less suitable roads is not based on an attempt to maximize their profits, but rather it's an exercise in survival," explained Joyce. "Trucking is an extremely competitive business. Small business truckers are those least able to offset higher costs of tolls. As a result, they will choose alternate routes even when that means they will contend with significantly more traffic."