Businesses and commercial carriers across New York are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to intervene in the state Thruway Authority’s move on a 1% surcharge on all tolls processed through commercial toll-management providers, according to a letter.
Set to take effect in January, the surcharge, according to the businesses, would function as a backdoor toll increase on the state’s trucking industry and the consumers it serves.
It would apply only to commercial trucking accounts, add costs across the entire E-ZPass network and increase operating pressures.
“This proposal comes at a time when your Administration has made affordability a top priority,” the letter reads. “You have noted that ‘when costs for basic necessities skyrocket, every dollar counts.’ We agree. A hidden toll increase runs counter to that goal and risks raising costs on everything from groceries to building supplies — especially harmful for small businesses, working families and the farmers and processors who rely on efficient transportation.”
The group says the Thruway Authority’s decision bypassed the public process normally used for toll adjustments, and comes only months after the state comptroller identified $276 million in unpaid tolls and major collection failures.
“We respectfully request your Administration’s assistance in encouraging the Authority to pause implementation, meet with affected businesses and consider alternatives that do not raise costs for truckers, farms or New Yorkers,” the letter reads.