Turnpike to target rogue trucking companies

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission is advancing its mission to collect unpaid tolls from rogue commercial trucking companies. Recently, the commission has publicly identified commercial trucking companies in multiple states that owe $5,000 each or more in unpaid Ohio Turnpike tolls. "The Ohio Turnpike is one of the nation's major freight corridors, and the vast majority of commercial trucking companies do the right thing and pay their tolls," commission executive director Ferzan Ahmed said. "But there is a growing number of companies that are breaking the law by avoiding paying their tolls." A total of 315 trucking companies from 26 states identified on the commission's public list were sent to collections to recover unpaid tolls. These companies alone owe the commission nearly $5.2 million in unpaid tolls since April 2024. Of the 315 companies, 42 have commercial vehicles registered in Ohio. "Our goal is to provide the safest and best conditions at the lowest toll rate possible on the Ohio Turnpike," Ahmed said. "These companies are making it more difficult to do so. They have had every opportunity to pay their tolls but have ignored three mailed invoices and have been sent to collections." According to the commission, tolls that remain unpaid for 90 days from the date of the first invoice are sent to collections and/or vehicle registrations are held until payment is made. Unpaid toll balances on the public list range from $5,000 to nearly $156,000. The largest unpaid balance is owed by NYC Trucking, a company with commercial trucks registered in Pennsylvania. "Companies are either simply choosing not to pay, or using deliberate toll evasion tactics or both," Ahmed said. The commission uses a range of methods to collect unpaid tolls, including: • Capturing license plate images • Mailing invoices • Sending unpaid tolls to collections • Preventing license plate renewals through vehicle registration holds • Taking legal action when necessary