Deteriorating Infrastructure Forces Delay of Vehicle Charges in Rhode Island
The resumption of truck-only toll collection in Rhode Island will take longer than anticipated. Since a 2022 court decision declared the tolls unconstitutional, state officials had anticipated that they would return in the first half of 2026. As of right now, it does not seem to be happening, and the state is unsure of when it will. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation claims that there are two factors contributing to the delay, the first of which is the toll gantries themselves. “Some systems had been erected and exposed to the weather since 2018, but the tolling system had lain inactive for three and a half years,” RIDOT Chief Public Affairs Officer Charles St. Martin told WJAR News. “That process is taking longer than planned because we discovered during our assessment that more equipment needed to be replaced.”
According to St. Martin, the requirement for a new “back-office system” for billing—specifically, one made to adhere to the new regulations that eliminated the daily cap for tolls—is the other factor impeding the tolls’ restart
According to St. Martin, “this new timeline will also allow adequate time to ensure that these complex hardware and software systems are running with optimal accuracy on day one when we turn the switch on.” Resuming the state’s truck-only tolling scheme has been strongly opposed by the Rhode Island Trucking Association. Chris Maxwell, the group’s president, stated that he does not agree with what the state DOT is attempting to market. Maxwell told Land Line, “We assume that the underlying explanation is the impending fall election and a reluctance of politicians to double down on a scheme that has so miserably failed, even though they claim the delay is due to technical upgrades.” Officials have stated that the tolls would not be reinstated before June 30, which is the end of the 2025 fiscal year, but there is still no set date for this.
Rhode Island’s attempt to collect truck-only tolls has had a rocky history
In order to pay for bridge and other infrastructure upgrades in Rhode Island, the state started imposing tolls on commercial vehicles in 2018. However, a U.S. District Court declared the tolls unlawful in September 2022, concluding that the state’s proposal violated the Commerce Clause, which prohibits governments from charging fees with the goal to discriminate against out-of-state or interstate corporations and in favor of domestic entities. That decision was appealed by the state. A federal appeals court ruled in favor of Rhode Island in December 2024, stating that the truck-only tolling system did not satisfy the legal precedent necessary to be in violation of the commerce clause and that lawyers were unable to demonstrate that the tolls caused a “substantial” disadvantage for out-of-state truckers. With certain adjustments, the state would be able to resume tolling commercial cars as a result of that verdict. The appeals court declared the daily toll caps unlawful because they unfairly favored in-state trucking companies, even though it decided the state may resume its tolling strategy. State officials stated that both in-state and out-of-state carriers will be equally impacted by the new tolling schedule when it resumes.
Local carriers and trucking associations have opposed the state’s decision to reinstate truck tolls in the absence of daily restrictions. The Rhode Island Trucking Association wrote to lawmakers in May 2025, pleading with them to think twice about reinstating the truck tolls
According to the trucking group, the original 2016 legislation included the now-unconstitutional caps as a “covenant established with the local business sector and within the General Assembly to assure approval” and to “protect local truck operators from recurring and unsustainable tolls.” The group’s letter stated, “This is not even close to the legislation enacted in 2016, and our state’s leaders have an obligation to oppose any version of it from being implemented.” The program’s original goal was to target interstate carriers, but it has since backfired. A deal is a deal. Maxwell claims that 94% of the anticipated toll revenue will come from nearby companies in the absence of the daily limitations. “This ‘horse is out of the barn,’ as plainly they have and will continue to run afoul of the law if they attempt to favor their own,” Maxwell stated. “State leaders continue to consider inventive methods to offset the enormous burden on communities.” “Toll rate reductions have been considered, but no matter how you slice it, there is still a 94% local burden.”
