Illinois Lawmakers Approve 30% Truck Toll Hike
Trucking Industry Says Plan Threatens Jobs and Safety
Key Takeaways:
- Illinois lawmakers approved a plan on Oct. 31 to raise truck tolls 30% starting in 2027 to fund a $1.5 billion statewide transit overhaul.
- The measure would redirect $860 million annually from fuel sales taxes and replace the Regional Transportation Authority with a new Northern Illinois Transit Authority.
- Trucking industry leaders said the toll hikes would severely raise costs and plan to lobby next year for changes or a phased-in implementation.
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The trucking industry is raising the alarm about the costs that motor carriers will incur under a new tolling plan advanced by lawmakers in Illinois.
Under the measure, approved by the state Legislature on Oct. 31, tolls for commercial trucks would increase 30% to help fund a $1.5 billion plan to revamp the state’s transit operations. Specifically, the state would replace the current Regional Transportation Authority with a new Northern Illinois Transit Authority to oversee statewide transit systems. The plan would increase tolls by 45 cents for passenger vehicles. The bill awaits the signature of Gov. JB Pritzker (D).
The truck toll increases would start in 2027, with scheduled biennial increases after that. But Matt Hart, executive director of the Illinois Trucking Association, told Transport Topics he intends to continue fighting the scheduled toll increases. Next year, he will push for a reversal of the truck tolling provisions. Absent that, Hart said he would lobby for alternatives that could include a phased-in timeline to ease the financial impact.
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“It’s going to cost us more to deliver the goods that Americans need, especially Americans who live in the areas around Chicago,” Hart said. “It’s going to cost us more to transport manufactured freight for those manufacturers across the country, but especially in the Chicagoland area. And, in the short term, this will hurt trucking companies who signed a contract to haul freight and now are going to have one of their expenses go up by 30%.”
Mike Moran, president of Moran Transportation Corp., called the Legislature’s action “crippling” and warned it “will put people out of business.”
The 30% increase would raise his company’s annual toll spending to $1.6 million and hinder his ability to upgrade equipment and address workforce benefits, he said. His firm specializes in regional less-than-truckload service throughout Illinois and surrounding states.
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“This is probably one of the most critical things we’ve faced in this state in decades,” Moran told TT on Nov. 5. “It’s just a crippling impact on the industry. Safety, increased cost of merchandise, passing huge increases to customers at a very, very challenging time for everybody. And just a massive increase. I can’t think of any increase that I’ve taken personally or corporately in the last 46 years … that has this level of impact.”
The plan would redirect the state’s sales tax on motor fuel to statewide transit operations, generating an estimated $860 million annually. It would authorize the Regional Transportation Authority to increase its Chicago-area sales tax by 0.25%. The measure’s primary provisions would take effect June 1, 2026.
Pritzker backed the plan. “The legislation makes important changes to how Illinois operates and manages our transportation network, including investing in new capital projects that will make our public transit and tollways more modern, efficient and reliable for riders,” he said Oct. 31. “I am pleased the legislation also avoids new broad-based state taxes on Illinois working families. Instead, it directs existing state revenue streams to flow toward public transit systems while enabling independent bodies like the Regional Transportation Authority and Tollway Board to decide how to best meet their users’ needs.”
The governor’s office has yet to schedule the bill’s enactment.
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The Regional Transportation Authority touted the package in a statement.
“Riders want transit that is safe, reliable and frequent. This transformational investment of more than $1 billion in new operating funding lays the groundwork to improve service, shorten travel times and enhance rider experience across the region,” the group said Oct. 31. “The bill also changes the region’s transit governance, transitioning the RTA to the Northern Illinois Transit Authority and creating new requirements to coordinate service, plan strategically and better support riders.”
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