In Connecticut Gov. Lamont, after losing a decision to mandate Heavy Haul Trucking Companies In Connecticut truck-only highway tolls, he is proposing a plan B. Plan B would tax big Heavy Machinery Transportation rigs on weight and miles driven in the state. Estimated revenue of ninety million dollars would be projected. The end game is to secure over five hundred million in federal aid for highway funding. Lamont is also looking to add a regional cap and trade that targets the larger fuel suppliers, ultimately adding five cents per gallon in cost. These proposals for Flatbed Trucking Companies face a rough road ahead as leading industry groups are already shredding the ideas. It’s uncertain at this time that that the Governors own Democratic legislature will support the proposals or if they will side with the Republicans as they did on highway tolls. 

Heavy Haul Trucking Companies In Connecticut Proposed Tractor Trailer Taxes

Lamont points out that the highway use tax is needed to keep the Special Transportation Fund alive. The history of fees collected to date seems to suggest that enough is never enough and that the funds usually never flesh out their intended funding of roads and bridges.   Fees proposed are two and a half cents per mile and up to ten cents for trucks weighing up to eighty thousand pounds. Over eighty thousand would add an additional seven and a half cents per mile. Heavy Haul Trucking Companies In Connecticut could spend $20 in extra fees just to cross the state. Smaller more frequent Flatbed Freight Companies loads would see additional cost from $2.50 to $11.50 on average. Lamont continues to claim that Connecticut is the only state in the Northeast that does not tax tractor-trailers.

The purchase of carbon initiative allowances will be afforded to the largest gasoline and diesel fuel suppliers so that they can lawfully exceed the specified caps in place for greenhouse gas emissions.   Lamont’s proposed mileage tax to raise this ninety million for the states failing transportation fund has been slammed by truckers citing that out of state truckers would be able to dodge the fees while hitting the Flatbed Trucking Companies and standard truckers the hardest. The Motor Transport Authority optimistically expects lawmakers to ignore Lamont’s proposal like they did previously on the truck only highway tolls last year.   The MTA has reported that on average tractor-trailers in CT pay $17,000 in annual state and federal taxes including $9,000 per vehicle to the state. This tax will cunningly be avoided by out of state truckers but will heavily hit in-state trucks. The only apparent way to enforce these proposals would be a roadside effort that neither state police nor the DRS has the appropriate staff to manage efficiently.   In summary, once you boil all this down and un-mask the details it seems to be a regressive tax that will hit the middle class once again the hardest! When is enough, enough?