EZ Pass and towing

[jgillott]

Interesting discussion on another forum I read brings me to a question for you guys that tow and use EZ Pass here in the eastern part of the country. Do you have your trailer plate registered in the EZ Pass system when towing or just your truck? I've been towing for years on my PA EZ Pass without listing my trailers in the system without issue. However, in reading that discussion, people are claiming to be getting violations when they tow and system doesn't have their trailer plate registered.

For those of you that use EZ Pass, do you have your truck only registered or both your truck and trailer?

 

[Wayne M.]

I do not have my trailer on my ezpass. When I get the gun at my head, I just cash up. ($15/axle. A 2 ax car trailer and SRW =$45 a DRW adds another $15!)
They’re installing all kinds of new tech at the lanes to detect everything. Two bridges by me still have booths and a express and I’m told that if you go through a certain unmanned booth, it won’t pick up the trailer. That’s too risky for me. I never make out on those deals.

 

[TFucili]

I just had the truck when we were there. Used to trailer to Beaver Run Raceway on the pike. Just blasted through under the overhead readers.

 

[GAmes]

I had to register my trailers with TXTag not to be charged extra.

 

[Lynx0849]

It seems to vary by state. That is, the state you are traveling in, not always the state you got your ezpass from.

For example, in MA, NJ & NY, occasional towing a trailer with a passenger EzPass is permitted without you having to do anything (remembering from 10 years ago - check the current Ezpass rules).
The New York Bridge & Tunnel Authority says to pull through the manned toll booth and they manually charge the extra axels. Again, 10 year old news. I have no idea what they do with the new booth free tolling.

I remember this from 2006 when I towed my bike to Daytona for the rally and went down I95 from MA.
No problems from MA, NY, NJ or DE. I did pull in at the high bridge on the Henry Hudson parkway, and the GW bridge.

I got a $50 fine from Maryland though.

I now go down I84, I81, I77 and never through MD. They don’t get any tourist dollars from me anymore.



Pro

 

[jgillott]

I've never had an issue in all these years in PA. It is an increased cost over just the truck, but I've never received a violation charge.

I do stop at the manned booths on WV though. They process the trailer separate. It still goes on the EZ Pass but it showes up as a separate charge. PA just charges per weight class and from what I've seen.

 

[mwilson]

I have an EZ Pass issued by the State of Maine.......if towing the toll readers pick it up....

The official answer from my EZ Pass account below..

: May I use my E-ZPass when I'm towing something?

A: You may use your Maine Turnpike E-ZPass to pay tolls when occasionally towing a trailer. The Maine Turnpike's E-ZPass system will identify the size of your vehicle as it passes through the toll lane and adjust the toll accordingly. Many other toll facilities do not offer this feature. Be sure to check with the toll facility before using your E-ZPass to pay while towing a trailer.

Back to question

 

[jgillott]

This is from the PA site. I see nothing about registering the trailer plate.

I sometimes pull a camper or trailer with my vehicle.
Can I still use my transponder? Yes. On the Pennsylvania Turnpike, if the weight of the camper or trailer pushes you into a higher class of vehicle, the higher toll will be charged to your account. If you are traveling on other E-ZPass agency toll roads or bridges, please contact the appropriate agency for further information. Refer to the list participating agencies on FAQ # 2.

 

[Larry Willard]

I have towed the PA Turnpike, OH and Indiana turnpike with no problems from EZ Pass. I always ente and exit through the manned toll booths if they are there. In PA they aren't manned and I guess they are weighing since the cost is always more than the truck. In MD I use the manned booth not the the EZ Pass unmanned and the attendant always checks the number of axles and charges for them. I don't have any of my trailers listed on my account. We have also used it in MD with the motorhome and it isn't listed on the account either but never a problem yet.
Larry

 

[Wayne M.]

I now go down I84, I81, I77 and never through MD. They don’t get any tourist dollars from me anymore.

Sounds like a plan! Blows my mind that I can go from here to Dollywood and only pay one $1 toll. And I could get around that one if I wanted.

 

[Mark31]

Our Baptist Disaster Relief Team went up near Buffalo (Amherst, I think) years ago when they had a lake effect blizzard when the leaves were still on the trees and we went to Long Island after Sandy. I still kinda sticks in my craw that we had to pay truck and 14 ft dual axle trailer tolls so we could help out. They should have GIVEN us an EZ Pass.

 

[mwilson]

On the Maine EZ Pass sites I can add vehicles / plate numbers myself....I wonder if adding my trailer plate would cover my a** in other states???

I didn't know about that until I called EZ Pass one day and asked just how much longer my transponder was going to last, should I buy a new one....The agent told me not to worry about it as if it failed to read they would match the plate photo and find the billable account that way so I would not get fined. They would then contact me and tell me to get a new transponder. He added my Yukon while I was on the phone and told me that I could do that myself when logged into my account anytime I wanted to.

 

[Jim W]

I have an IL. I-pass that I have used out east with no problem at all. My Trailer is not registered to the I-pass, only my truck and my wife's car. I do go thru the E-pass lanes when towing out east. I know for a fact that the trailer is picked up by the system on the toll roads. How do I know? Will I have automatic replenishment of the funds that are required for the I-pass. This will replenish the account at $40 intervals from a charge card set up for traveling only. I replenished that amount twice in one day as I cross from IL., IN. and then thru OH. on all three these toll roads and this cost was well over $40 for that day.

 

[jhenderson]

Man, it’s getting expensive to travel with your home these days.

 

[jgillott]

Man, it’s getting expensive to travel with your home these days.

There has been quite an outcry here in PA about the annual increases in Turnpike tolls. Commercial drivers are now skipping the turnpike system and traveling Rt. 30, Rt. 31, and Rt 22 east and west and causing issues in the small towns to avoid paying the tolls. The article in the paper said that it now costs well over $100 in tolls to run through PA in a class 8 truck.

 

[TFucili]

I can see avoiding the tolls, but 30 and old 22 were busy stop and go roads years ago. I imagine they are worse now.

 

[jgillott]

I can see avoiding the tolls, but 30 and old 22 were busy stop and go roads years ago. I imagine they are worse now.

This was just from a few days ago. It discusses the Toll 66 bypass of Greensburg.


https://triblive.com/local/westmore...inue-to-cause-problems-in-downtown-greensburg

This is an article about our governor's comments. This was after the failed Amazon headquarters bid.

https://triblive.com/state/pennsylv...-of-turnpike-tolls-driving-business-away-from

 

[TFucili]

So, is the Turnpike Commission a "private" operation? Where I grew up it was the DRJTBC(Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission), which operates 20(???)bridges, some toll, some not, across the Delaware. The typical promise of temporary tolls went out the window long, long ago. Tolls just keep rising. They used to bellyache, that they were not publicly funded and were going broke, but their vehicles all ran G-plates, etc. It was widely regarded as one of the most crooked political plum-job type enterprises around, where big salaries burned up funds like a blast furnace. There was a big scandal years ago when the newspaper out of Allentown discovered that the bridge commission had offices in Rome, Tokyo, etc. Hmmmmmm... nothing happened. Just more poor-mouthing, and raising tolls. I could go on for pages, but you get the idea.

 

[DavidC]

Maine has a Turnpike!!!!!!!. When did that happen, is it I95?

Dave

 

[DavidC]

I sure do not remember paying tolls in Maine. If I did I guess I am losing it. I do remember Pa., NJ.,RI., not sure about Conneticut or Mass. although I am sure they probably took some money. But then traveling from Pa. to Loring I was on 95 from beginning to end so maybe that is why I do not remember. I think it was RI you had to stop what seemed like every mile and pay the toll.

Dave