E-ZPass overcharges Be forwarned

[HowieE]

If you are traveling and will cross the Delaware River using any form of EZ Pass you will be grossly overcharged.

I say grossly because the charge for a 2 axle trailer crossing any of the bridges administered by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Comm., all except the Delaware Memorial Bridge, should be $2.00. You will be charged $15.00. The problem is worse with a tri axle trailer. The charge should be $10.00 but you will be charge $25.00.

Charges for a 2 axle trailer on the Delaware Memorial Bridge should be $7.50 but you will be charged $20.00. With a tri axle the charge should be $10.00 but you will be charged $25.00.

Now you can question these charger after the fact and get the correct charge applied but it is a tedious process.

The answer is to pay cash unless the lines are too long.

This problem results from the fact that the bridges count axles and assume you are a commercial vehicle.

[polarlyse]

I had that happen to me last year crossing into PA on Rt. 78. I periodically review my EZ Pass account and found it about a month after. I had used the high speed lane. I called them and upon their review and confirmation they corrected the charges with no problem. They had charged me the tractor-trailer rate. I have a Dodge p/u and 30'er. That is the only place it has ever happened to me.

[moparjohn]

I had a problem once too. Going to Philly in my Durango, the EZ pass was not picked up by the sensor. Weeks later I recieved a bill/fine in the mail. Filled out the form, explained a working, paid to date EZ pass WAS in the vehicle. I sent a check in for $4.oo (the toll) and expected the $29 fine to be dropped. Weeks later got ANOTHER letter explaining that the matter must be resloved within 10 days of me recieving the letter. I called the EZ pass phone ( you all know what that got me) fuastrated, I sent another check for $4.00 with the same story. In Sept, some two months later, my first check was returned and a letter explained that the fine was dropped. I guess they cashed the second check. I now do not use it, and wait in the cash lines. MUCH EASIER. MPJ

[polarlyse]

Hi John. Over the years with my 3 kids we've gone several rounds with the EZ-Pass violations. Never, Never, Never send them a check. Fill out the violation form with your EZ-Pass unit # and sign their statement. They will charge your acct. for the toll and have always dropped the x-tra fees. I've never had a problem with doing that.

[HowieE]

Your story is typical of many who's E Z Pass is not picked up by the receiver for what ever reason but this thread is not about that.

This tread is about a systematic overcharge applied wrongly to any car towing a trailer, RV, boat, or car on dolly. These charges are not a mistake they are intentional. I say this because I personally discussed this with the Authority 5 years ago. They admitted they were aware of this but said management was not of a mind to correct it. With thousands of towing vehicles crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Delaware River Bridges each weekend why would they.

Very few individuals check their statements and even fewer know the correct toll amount. That is called PROFIT

[urnmor]

I believe in the private sector it would be called fraud

[HowieE]

Once saw a bumper sticker that said

"New Jersey has the best Politicians money can buy"

Nothing has changed.

I just want as many as possible to know about the E Z Pass problem so they can take action and save.







.

[polarlyse]

YUP. You get what you pay for. Our politicians are the best for the money. There's nothing like checking for yourself. I am not commuting on a regular basis, however, so it's not too difficult for me to check it every now and then to monitor my usage. I do sympathize for the regular commuters though. It must be more difficult for them to keep up with it. Intentional or not, mistakes do happen but it does seem strange for it to continue at the same crossings.

[dstalzer]

I live in Northwest Austin and recently returned from IH-35 South of Austin and took the toll roads that go around the East side of Austin to avoid the 5:00 PM gridlock through downtown on IH-35. I was towing my 25' 2 axle Airsteam and the cost of this bypass cost me $18.21 with my TXTag. The travel time was about 1/2 the time to sit in the traffic gridlock and twice the distance, but I think this charge is a rip off, especially when the biggest tractor/trailers are charged only a few cents more for this length of travel on the toll road.

Dennis

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by dstalzer

I live in Northwest Austin and recently returned from IH-35 South of Austin and took the toll roads that go around the East side of Austin to avoid the 5:00 PM gridlock through downtown on IH-35. I was towing my 25' 2 axle Airsteam and the cost of this bypass cost me $18.21 with my TXTag. The travel time was about 1/2 the time to sit in the traffic gridlock and twice the distance, but I think this charge is a rip off, especially when the biggest tractor/trailers are charged only a few cents more for this length of travel on the toll road.

Dennis

Dennis

what I am suggesting is that anyone towing a trailer get the toll chart for the roads they use and check the charges against the toll chart. Most likely you were over charged but you will not know that until you check the chart. Toll charts are available on each authorities web site

Here is the web site for the Delaware Joint Toll Bridge.

DRJTBC - Toll Rates

You will not that at the top it clearly states 5 axles at $20.00. But if you read the second paragraph below you will see that a "car towing a trailer" is only $2.00. If someone is content to pay $20.00 they will not check the chart.

Please check and let us know what the Austin Bypass should be for you rig as others will be effected.

[Skater]

Thanks for this. We took the camper (B190, towing a car) to NJ a couple years back via the Delaware Memorial Bridge using our EZ Pass, and Erica reminded me that we'd thought the bill was much higher than we expected for that trip. It never occurred to us that we were overcharged.

I think many states use a strict "number of axles" rule, without distinction between commercial or personal, which basically means we're screwed since they think nothing but a commercial vehicle would have more than two axles. On the plus side, it also means we're being charged the correct toll...

We decided if the difference is small, we'd let it go - the states need the money, and the EZ Pass is just too convenient. But if it's a $20 vs. $2 bill, that's a different story...

[DKB_SATX]

TxTag unfortunately doesn't have a break for private vehicles, you pay as much for a pickup towing an tandem-axle Airstream as you would for any commercial vehicle with a total of 4 axles.

I was surprised in September to find out that it costs about 3x as much to use Texas 130 with my 2-axle pickup pulling my 2-axle Agosy (double the axles, roughly double the total weight but no appreciable difference in per-axle weight, so let's just say double the wear on the road). A 40,000 lb tractor+trailer (5 axles) would only pay $1 more than my pickup w/ the Argosy. A tractor pulling *2* trailers would still only pay that $19.20, so their goal seems to be work you up quickly to the upper rates.

It's probably still worth it to avoid driving I35 through downtown Austin, but it doesn't feel like the tariff is well-structured. Sorry it looks funny aligned to the right, but that was the easiest way to get the numbers to line up.

For an end-to-end trip on Texas 130, Georgetown entrance to Creedmoor exit:

Passenger vehicle incl. motorcycles: $ 6.40
Passenger vehicle w/ single-axle trailer: 12.80
Passenger vehicle w/ dual-axle trailer: 18.20
Tractor w/ single trailer: 19.20
Tractor w/ dual trailer: 19.20

[DaveFL]

Because of the problems I have read about Florida's Sun Pass, I turned down a free one from my daughter even with money left in the account when she moved out of state. They have forms for transferring, making it easy to do, but buyer beware.

[slowmover]

Avoiding traffic gridlock always makes it worthwhile to me. I've pulled a U-Haul several times on the Sam Houston around the south side of Houston from US-59 to IH-10 but don't remember the charge when statement checked. Guess the point of owning and operating a high mpg vehicle at a very economical speed helps. Averaged 18-mpg on the 700-mile roundtrip at just above 13k gross both times. And cut a better deal with U-Haul than usual rates as well.

So if I overpaid, it was worthwhile from a number of angles. 16-cpm fuel cost plus toll (right or wrong) made traversing one of North America's largest cities hassle-free for a drive bookended by either loading or unloading that trailer.

Not that I disagree with anything above. Our entire society is now predicated on tollcollectors at every point in life.

All you rich people with your Airstreams . . next thing you'll be complaining the help (dealers & service techs).

.

[dwightdi]

Illinois Ipass claims it saves you 50% off the regular price. They charge $.80 per car per toll booth, that would be $.40 for a car going through Ipass lanes. They charge 1 1/2 times as much for a dually. That should be $.60. The trailer has another 6 wheels. That should make it $1.20. Wrong They charge me $4.00 for my rig. Would not back down over the net or on the phone. They will not publish their rate schedule. For round trip 3 tolls each way on 30 miles of road were $24.00.

[polarlyse]

I don't remember what the charge for the Del. Mem. Bridge was when towing our trailer. It's $4 for a passenger vehicle. Their schedule shows $8 for a pass vehicle and 2 axel trailer but I vaguely recall being charged more than that. Enough so that when we travel southbound using I 95 I take it through Philadelphia and avoid the NJ turnpike and Del. bridge tolls. Coming north there is no toll for the bridge and I can take 295 ( no toll ) on the NJ side. Sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet for the sake of efficiency but I do monitor my usage carefully just to be sure. Overall I do like the EZ pass and it does save some time. I really like the high speed lanes where they exist.

[Intrepid]

I-PASS

The above Illinois Ipass website lists rates for cars, trucks, towed trailers, etc.