Trucking Industry Appeals Rhode Island Court’s Decision on Tolls
The American Trucking Associations challenge a federal judge’s dismissal of its lawsuit against truck-only tolls.
Apr 01, 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. - The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has appealed the decision by the federal district court in Rhode Island to dismiss its challenge to the state’s RhodeWorks truck-only toll scheme, on procedural grounds.
The ATA was joined by Cumberland Farms Inc., M&M Transport Services Inc. and New England Motor Freight in its suit asserting that Rhode Island’s truck-only toll is unconstitutional because it “discriminates against interstate trucking companies and impedes the flow of interstate commerce,” ATA said in a press release.
The U.S. District Court of Rhode Island announced the lawsuit’s dismissal on March 19, and the ATA filed its appeal on March 28.
“Since RhodeWorks was first proposed, the trucking industry has been strong and united in opposition to this extortionate plan. We’ve warned politicians in Rhode Island that these truck-only tolls were unconstitutional and should be rolled back,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said.
The ATA maintains that “the RhodeWorks plan violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state trucking companies, and by designing the tolls in a way that does not fairly approximate motorists’ use of the roads.”
Transport Topics reported that “Chief Judge William Smith’s decision concluded that the case needed to be heard in the state’s court system.”
The truck-only tolling system is part of Raimondo’s RhodeWorks program, which is projected to generate $4.7 billion to finance infrastructure projects, such as bridge replacements and road improvements.
