RI Trucking Association Blasts RI Company for Racking Up $75K in Unpaid Turnpike Tolls
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The head of the Rhode Island Trucking Association (RITA) is blasting a North Kingstown-based trucking company for racking up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls in Maine, which has resulted in them being barred from operating in the state.
On Monday, GoLocalProv reported that Maine State Police seized five tractor-trailers – all owned by the same Rhode Island company, Commodity Haulers Express -- which owes about $75,000 in unpaid tolls to the Maine Turnpike Authority.
"Unfortunately, operations like this exist in all industries, but are especially harmful to the trucking industry which spends billions on tolling and other safety-related costs in order to maintain our image, stay compliant and move our nation’s freight," said Chris Maxwell, President of the Rhode Island Trucking Association.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“This company is not a member of RITA for a reason," said Maxwell.
Efforts to reach Commodity Haulers Express Monday evening were unsuccessful.
Maine Seizure
On Friday, the Main State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit impounded five tractor-trailers owned and operated by Commodity Haulers Express of North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
According to Maine State Police, the truck company is facing felony theft of services charges after racking up approximately $75,000 in unpaid toll debt over the past three years.
The Maine Police stated:
Last month, State Police Corporal Chris Rogers was asked to investigate a toll evasion case by the Maine Turnpike Authority.
The Turnpike Authority reported that Commodity Haulers Express, which employs a fleet of approximately 20 trucks, had amassed an unpaid toll fare bill of approximately $75,000 over a three-year period utilizing 12 different tractor-trailer trucks.
The company had been notified of the unpaid bill multiple times by the Turnpike Authority and their right to operate their vehicles in Maine had been suspended by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Cpl. Rogers conducted surveillance and created a timeline of when the offending trucks were entering and leaving Maine. This morning, Troopers located five of the offending trucks. One was stopped southbound in York along the Maine Turnpike and the four others were stopped along Route 122 in Poland.
The trucking company hauls Poland Spring Water. The water company was not aware or involved in the unpaid tolls.
RI Trucking Association Taking RI Toll Fight to Federal Court
Maxwell continues to lead the fight that the Rhode Island Trucking Association believes that Rhode Island's recently instituted trucks-only tolls are unconstitutional.
Last week, the American Trucking Association -- along with Maxwell -- hailed the decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit that held the trucking group’s lawsuit over Rhode Island’s predatory truck-only tolls could proceed in federal court.
“We have long believed that Rhode Island’s RhodeWorks truck-only toll scheme was a violation of the Constitution and an attempt to use our industry as a piggy bank,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “[This] decision by the First Circuit paves the way for us to make that argument in federal court and we look forward to the chance to vindicate our case on the merits.”
ATA, along with Cumberland Farms Inc., M&M Transport Services Inc. and New England Motor Freight, sued Rhode Island, arguing that the RhodeWorks plan violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state economic interests in order to favor in-state interests, and by designing the tolls in a way that does not fairly approximate motorists’ use of the roads.
The First Circuit ruled that despite the state’s assertion, ATA’s lawsuit was not barred by the federal Tax Injunction Act, which generally prohibits federal courts from hearing challenges to state taxes. The First Circuit held that the RhodeWorks tolls are not a “tax,” and thus not immune from challenge in federal court.
“[This] ruling is just another step in getting these extortionary tolls torn down and we would urge the governor and her allies to do the right thing and put an end to this unfair and unconstitutional toll scheme so we can get serious about working together on how to equitably and effectively rebuild our infrastructure,” said Maxwell. “With this ruling in hand, we are confident we will prevail in this suit once it is decided on the merits.”
COVER PHOTO FLICKR Sam Butler
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