Truck tolls are fees imposed by states to finance road maintenance and infrastructure upkeep. PrePass transponders are often used by truck drivers to bypass weighing stations, but there are other options that come with tolls and additional charges. As fleets operate on very slim profit margins, every penny counts and paying unnecessary tolls and fines can quickly reduce their profits. This may come as a surprise to many first-time truckers, but some toll facilities, such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, charge tolls to trucks based on their weight. The PrePass webinar, titled “How to Prevent Toll Costs from Affecting Your Truck Fleet's Results”, provides useful advice on how to keep fleet toll costs under control.
It is important to research all the toll operators you will need to work with, based on their national presence, and make sure each truck is equipped with the appropriate transponders. Another way to save money and reduce the complexity associated with tolls is to use the tools offered by Tollsmart, such as the Tollsmart toll calculator for trucks, which can help you easily calculate the toll costs of a route and find alternative routes with fewer tolls, potentially leading to substantial savings in some regions. When you multiply these types of charges by 100 trucks, it is easy to see how a fleet can end up paying an exorbitant amount of money for toll violations. This is the most common method for determining tolls in the U. S., where the number of axles is counted - the most common configuration being 5-axle trucks with a single trailer.
One of the smartest ways for truckers to save money on tolls is to open transponder accounts at agencies that cover toll facilities in the areas they will be operating in, as significant discounts are often available through these accounts. Both companies pay toll authorities, bundle invoices from several states, and send one monthly bill to the transportation company or owner-operator.
