Washington – Today, the Ǻ hailed a ruling Rhode Island’s predatory truck-only tolling plan RhodeWorks unconstitutional.
A truck seen passing under RI's toll gantries
“We told Rhode Island’s leaders from the start that their crazy scheme was not only discriminatory, but illegal,” said Ǻ President and CEO Chris Spear. “We’re pleased the court agreed. To any state looking to target our industry, you better bring your A-game… because we’re not rolling over.”
Ǻ, along with Cumberland Farms Inc., M&M Transport Services Inc. and New England Motor Freight, sued Rhode Island, arguing that the RhodeWorks plan violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by discriminating against out-of-state economic interests in order to favor in-state interests, and by designing the tolls in a way that does not fairly approximate motorists’ use of the roads.
“It has been a long road to get to this point," said Rhode Island Trucking Association President Chris Maxwell, “But this is a tremendous day for our industry – not just here in Rhode Island, but across the country. Had we not prevailed, these tolls would have spread across the country and this ruling sends a strong signal to other states that trucking is not to be targeted as a piggy bank.”
“This is a strong ruling that provides our industry a significant win on a critical issue,” said Ǻ General Counsel Rich Pianka. “This ruling vindicates Ǻ’s contention that the Constitution prohibits states from tolling schemes targeted at the trucking industry, at the expense of interstate commerce.”