Published: July 02, 2009 10:56 pm      

Truckers say higher tolls may lead to boycott

Trucking companies locked into contracts that keep them from raising delivery fees might look for alternate routes to avoid higher fares on the West Virginia Turnpike, the president of the West Virginia Motor Truck Association says.

Most of the 170 members of the group use the turnpike, and as of Aug. 1, the toll for commercial rigs is jumping from $4.25 per barrier to $6.75, although discounts are allowed with E-Z Pass transponders.

In advance of Wednesday’s historic toll increase, talk began to accelerate about the prospects of truckers boycotting the 88-mile road to keep from paying tolls, and the association’s president, Janet Vineyard, agreed that was a strong prospect.

“I think they will,” she said Thursday. “A lot of them will use the back roads when they can.”

What disgruntled truckers must do is find a route that doesn’t burn up so much fuel it costs more to use it than pay the higher turnpike fare, Vineyard said.

Vineyard was disappointed with the West Virginia Parkways Authority’s handling of the increase for two reasons.

First, the turnpike’s governing board is jacking up fares Aug. 1, allowing truckers only a month to gear up for the change, when a 60- to 90-day notice would have afforded them time to work on contracts so they wouldn’t have to absorb the costs.

“That makes it really tough on our members,” Vineyard said of the one-month time frame.

A second reason for dismay is that the association preferred that the increase be phased in so trucking firms could work with customers without getting hit with a major increase all at once, she said.

“That would have been much more palatable for us. We would have been better off if they had done an incremental increase instead of all at one time. It’s just like your personal budget. Electricity is probably a big item. Suppose the power company says rates are going up this much and you’re not budgeted for it. That makes it tough. What if your grocery bill went up 60 percent and you’re not budgeted for it?”

Trucking companies already are facing difficult times with the anemic economy in general and higher diesel costs in particular, she said.

Firms such as United Parcel Service and Fed Ex likely can absorb the increases without much hardship, but the higher tolls definitely will impact the smaller companies, some of which might be forced to pull their trucks off the roads and go out of business, Vineyard said.

“And it (toll) will eventually get passed on,” she cautioned.

“West Virginia consumers will eventually pay more for goods that are delivered to them. This is an increase to the cost of doing business.”

Vineyard took offense to one authority member’s observation that trucking firms knew an increase was in the works for years. Even so, she said, her members didn’t know exactly how much higher tolls would be, so they couldn’t negotiate them in contracts.

“We’re not a bad group of people,” she said.

“We do deliver all of your medical supplies and your food. We work very, very hard to have a safe industry and deliver all of the goods and services to all West Virginians.”

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com