Oklahoma hiked truck tolls on its turnpikes by about 30 percent last month, and many truckers are finding other ways to get where they're going.

According to a report in the The Oklahoman, several legislators have introduced alternatives to tolls.
"Our people are very upset about this," George Tomek, executive director of the Oklahoma Trucking Assn., told the paper. "This couldn't come at a worse time." Jim Pielsticker, president of Tulsa-based Arrow Trucking, told the paper the higher tolls will add $150,000 to his turnpike bill of about $350,000 a year. McCorkle Truck Line told the paper he is rerouting his 80 trucks whenever possible. Similarly, Missouri-based Transportation Distribution Co. is rerouting trucks to state highways and free divided highways.
Terry Angier, a spokesperson for the state toll authority, said the increases are needed to pay for 50 miles of turnpike extensions. Tolls for trucks went up as much as three times as much as those for passenger cars. The authority justified that by saying trucks case more wear and tear to the turnpikes. Angier also said the authority told the trucking industry two years ago, when the bonds were approved, that a toll hike would be needed to pay for the extensions.
State Sen. Charles Ford of Tulsa has introduced a bill that would raise the state gasoline tax from 16 cents to 22 cents a gallon, and diesel fuel from13 cents to 22 cents per gallon. The added revenue would go to pay off turnpike bonds. Another bill in the state House of Representatives would change a toll road to a free road once 150 percent of its construction cost has been paid. Another House bill calls for a study of how Kentucky removed tolls from its turnpike system.