“The state is waiting for a response from the federal government regarding funding for the $1.8 billion project, but say that, regardless of federal funding, Governor Nathan Deal says GDOT will be moving forward with the project using funds gathered by the state’s Transportation Funding Act, which raised fuel prices back in 2015”
Time for the trucking industry to pay “it’s fair share!” Truckers have these “this truck paid X in taxes for highways last year,” and it’s always a pittance. The way our highways are built, if they were only for passenger vehicles, the’d last almost indefinitely here in CA with the exception of those where snow removal is required.
With truck only roads, let the trucks pay for 100% of them and their maintenance. Trucks have had a free ride on the taxpayers for years. After all, our railroads have to pay to maintain their tracks.
Truckers have had a free ride??
Fuel tax (@ 6mpg)
Highway use tax (lots and lots of miles)
USDOT authority (not free)
Special permit fees (such as oversized loads)
When truckers get caught overweight there are stiff fines. I got taken to a state scale near Chicago once. $1,400. My argument that road construction forced me to detour to reach the customer. Officer said it is my job to call the powers that be to find the legal route, and the weight limits for the roads. I told him “two tandem dump trucks in bumper to bumper traffic would put more weight down on the road in a span shorter than the semi” I was driving. He said, “that’s true, but they are two units, not one”. I don’t plan on making that mistake ever again.
I’ve hauled oversized loads that weren’t very heavy, but had to have permits nonetheless.
Trucks have had a free ride on the tax payers for year’s.¿
?¿¿???????????¿?¿?¿????????¿??¿??????????¿????????????????
You do not know what you are talking about, it is probably
much higher now but when I was still trucking it was costing
three or four thousand a year just for road tax. thanks
But supposing you were right there are many towns hundreds
Of miles from the rail roads so if you have your goods shipped
to the nearest rail road town don’t expect to get it when you want it.
And you better expect a lot of damage and some rotten produce,
you might also figure paying about twice the cost as the
taxpayers will have to subsidize the rail roads.
D
If the trains could haul it better and cheaper they would be hauling it all now.
I might also add that the main purpose for building roads was
to get freight from one place to another in many cases built by truckers.
and what the hell do you call fair share,in 94 iquit driving was paying 20k a year in road tax.
Considering that the average MPG of a tractor trailer is approx. 6 MPG and state taxes on gasoline are usually earmarked for highway maintenance, I think it's safe to say that the trucking industry is paying at least 4 times more taxes than you.
And since a typical long haul trucker will drive upwards of 100,000 miles per year compared to the annual average of 12,000 miles for a typical car, that's approx. 32 times the amount of taxes a trucker pays on an annual basis than a typical commuter...........
That's hardly getting a free ride...