Friday Short Haul - Rhode Island Tolls, Human Smuggling, Contractor Vs Employee Status

In this Friday Short Haul Rhode Island rakes in big bucks with truck tolls, man guilty of sneaking illegal aliens onto trucks, and California Senate considers contractor driver law.

Friday Short Haul - Rhode Island tolls, human smuggling, contractor vs employee status

When Rhode Island first said that they were going to toll their highways for trucks only, I changed my routing to bypass when going into Massachusetts and further north. Their Republican governor would not listen to her own state legislators and pushed forward with her plan to make all trucks pay for the repairs on RI roads and bridges. If it had been placed on all vehicles it would be different but against the industry that makes any economy work it ridiculous and wrong. I for one will not support her economy with any of my hard earned money if I am being singled out to support her state. As I am now retired and full time RVing I still avoid RI and go around at all costs.

When Rhode Island first said that they were going to toll their highways for trucks only, I changed my routing to bypass when going into Massachusetts and further north. Their Republican governor would not listen to her own state legislators and pushed forward with her plan to make all trucks pay for the repairs on RI roads and bridges. If it had been placed on all vehicles it would be different but against the industry that makes any economy work it ridiculous and wrong. I for one will not support her economy with any of my hard earned money if I am being singled out to support her state. As I am now retired and full time RVing I still avoid RI and go around at all costs.

Honestly, I'm surprised there weren't more trucks doing that. It's a well-known economic maxim that when a tax is raised on a product or service in order to produce more revenue the consumer use of that product or service decreases and the expected revenue is never realized.

I'm also surprised that there is $7 million worth of truck traffic through two tolls in one year in that extremely tiny state. Can you imagine how much revenue could be generated in the state of California, for example, if they placed those toll gantries every 10 miles along the major highways? I hope the geniuses in California legislature never catch on to that idea.

I'm not familiar with the highway system in that area, but wouldn't it be easy for trucks to bypass the state? Or, do truckers figure the cost of paying the tolls is less than the extra cost of fuel to drive around them?

DaveW, It is always easier to just ride I-95 North or South than rather plan the detour. Considering the $7 million they raised they will not remove the tolls. When people start to realize that RI gov't will stop funneling the toll money to the bridges and highways and divert these funds to other "pet projects" maybe then they will wake up. Companies and drivers need to boycott freight in and out of RI in order to get some attention. It is so easy to by-pass I-95 through RI if drivers would plan their trips better. Hell there is even only 1 truck stop in that state, the TA at exit 5, so there is no need to be in RI. From I-95 in New Haven, Ct. north to Hartford, Ct. then I-84 north to Mass. Pike east back to I-95 at Boston, Ma. Mass Pike west to NY state will be faster and maybe wake up RI politicians.

My guess would be that they needed more money. They can't toll the only major highway in half of the state because they'd likely lose the next election. Do you know who else uses that highway regularly and doesn't have a say in the election? Truckers.