How Do Truckers Pay Tolls?

On any given route throughout the country, truckers may run into tolls along the way. Understanding the different options for toll payments can help truckers and trucking companies maximize the efficiency of their routes and budgets. Learn more about how tolls work and the best solutions for toll payment below.

How Do Tolls Work?

In simple terms, a toll is a fee drivers pay to access certain roads. Often, toll roads provide drivers with the quickest routes possible, allowing them to get to their destinations sooner. The fees collected to access toll roads help pay for their construction and maintenance.

The fees for types of vehicles differ, and truck tolls are often more expensive than tolls for passenger vehicles. More specifically, how much trucks pay for tolls is based on their size. For example, in Pennsylvania, understanding how much tolls are for semi-trucks comes down to how many axles they have, as well as their weight class, height and cargo size.

Types of Tolls

Tolls are mostly found on highways and before or after tunnels and bridges. Tolls are generally categorized into four types:

• Open toll: Road users pay a specified amount for the distance driven on a highway at designated stops.
• Open road toll: Tolls are collected using transponders electronically, without stopping at booths. This cashless form of paying for tolls is supported by toll management solutions like Bestpass.
• Closed toll: Users pay for the distance traveled between two toll booths when they receive a ticket at the beginning of one and make payment when they reach the other, usually at both ends of a tunnel or bridge.
• Annual toll: Payment is made annually for users to access all toll roads, inclusive of distance traveled.

Toll Payment Methods

Approximately 36 states have toll roads in the United States, so your drivers will likely need to take toll roads at some point. How do you pay for tolls? The most common methods to pay for tolls include the following:po

Cash 

Most often, drivers will pay by cash or credit card to access toll roads. A driver drives up to the toll booth and pays the required fee to access the road, and a gate opens to allow access to the road.

Mail

In some states, it's becoming more common to charge drivers for toll access by mail — a driver slows down as they pass through the toll booth, and a picture of their license plate is taken. Then, the state will mail them an invoice with the amount they need to pay, and the driver can pay via mail or online.

Toll Management Platforms

Toll management portals, like Bestpass, offer a complete payment management system for trucking fleets, eliminating the need to carry cash or use the traditional mail option. Using transponders to record the tolls passed, our solution also provides discounts and reduces violations to alleviate the costs associated with tolling. You can monitor and track your fleet's activity through the Bestpass portal for up-to-date reports, allowing you to focus your time and money on other operational expenses instead.

What Are the Most Efficient Ways to Pay Tolls?

Unlike non-commercial drivers who might only occasionally access toll roads, truck drivers and fleet operators need a simple, streamlined way to pay toll fees and track and manage the tolls they pay.

As a result, paying for tolls with cash or through certain transponder options may not be the best fit for fleets. Instead, fleet operators should consider toll payment software that offers a comprehensive look at toll fees and makes toll payment easy.

How Bestpass Can Help 

Bestpass is a payment platform provider for toll management solutions and is an ideal choice for commercial trucking fleets. Bestpass works for owner-operators with a maximum of five vehicles and truck and service fleets with a minimum of six vehicles.

With our payment platform, you pay for tolls through a prepaid account and receive a complete look at toll data. Each truck is fitted with a transponder that records and sends tolling data, which you can access in our portal at any time to view your toll activity. Additionally, you may receive discounts to help ease the financial burden of paying tolls.

The Advantages of Using Bestpass

One advantage of using Bestpass is our relationships with tolling authorities, so you can monitor when trucks are overcharged or wrongfully charged. Whether it's due to the size of the truck or the transponder's location, the software will identify any issues that prevent a proper reading and alert you to it through the portal. Plus, the Bestpass team works directly with tolling authorities on your behalf, saving you invaluable time and effort.

Because violations are considered serious offenses, it's crucial to minimize them, and you can do so by keeping track of your fleet's activities using Bestpass. Usage alerts allow you to see when your truck is used privately, so the driver is held liable for toll fees outside of work hours.

Further, our customer service team is constantly looking out for our clients. If you ever have issues or concerns with your transponders, you get access to knowledgeable representatives who can help resolve the problem and quickly answer your questions.

Our Transponder Options

Bestpass offers four transponder-based coverage options based on where your fleet drives the most.

• Complete Pass: With Complete Pass, you get coast-to-coast toll coverage, which is ideal for fleets and operators that frequently travel across the country.
• E-ZPass: Through our E-ZPass capabilities, you can extend your E-ZPass coverage beyond the standard state boundaries, which may be helpful if your fleet drives just outside of E-ZPass territories.
• Horizon Voyager: This option offers complete coverage in California and Alabama alongside minimal service fees.
• Horizon Scout: The Horizon Scout option works best for fleets driving mainly in the South.