American Trucking Associations asked the state of Rhode Island to provide information to the trucking industry about outreach the state has done to communities that are likely to be affected by an increase in truck traffic as a result of the stateโs truck only toll scheme, which the association calls โextortionary.โ
โAccording to one such information packet obtained by the American Trucking Associations, [the Rhode Island Department of Transportation] intends to prevent diversion of tractor-semitrailers to potential alternative routes through signage limiting truck access to โlocal services,โ along with a variety of state and local enforcement methods,โ ATA said in a letter dated Sept. 29, 2016.
โFrom the limited information available, ATA has serious concerns as to how the contemplated restrictions can be reasonably enforced without imposing an unreasonable burden on motor carriers and their customers, truck drivers, other motorists and the citizens of Rhode Island.โ
ATA and its federation partner the Rhode Island Trucking Association have been vocally opposed to Gov. Raimondoโs toll scheme since it was first proposed.
โWe have said from the beginning that the governor and politicians in Providence are attempting to extort revenue from our industry โ using the trucks that deliver their stateโs goods as a piggy bank to avoid making the tough choices that are necessary to maintain the stateโs roads and bridges,โ said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. โWe will continue to fight these discriminatory and unjust tolls and as other states have learned, we will not stop until this plan is abandoned.โ
โThis plan is bad for our industry, but it is also bad for Rhode Islanders who will see costs and congestion rise as a result,โ said RITA President Chris Maxwell. โThe only beneficiaries of Gov. Raimondoโs plan are her cronies and politicians in Providence who get to once again kick the can down the road when it comes to a real, sustainable highway funding solution.โ
