The Case for Truck-Only Toll Lanes

Abstract

Truck traffic will grow faster than other traffic during the next 20 years, raising the need for added highway capacity. Current fuel taxes provide barely enough funding to maintain existing highways. Thus, there is growing interest in using toll finance to develop truck-only toll (TOT) lanes, generally added to existing limited-access roadways that are key trucking routes. Urban TOT lanes would provide congestion relief and better access to and from key ports and airports, whereas long-distance TOT lanes would permit longer combination vehicles that are not allowed on most interstate highways. Increased speed, reliability, and payload are reasons for trucking firms and shippers to pay tolls for superior performance. Tolls may do a better job than increased diesel fuel taxes of targeting investment to new capacity for goods movement. There are signs that the trucking industry is interested in TOT lanes, and federal and state policy is becoming more favorable.