Open Road Tolling

Electronic tolling technology has transformed toll facilities in recent decades, allowing drivers to pay tolls without stopping or even slowing.  This reality comes with many benefits: the stress and delay of traffic congestion at toll booths are being eliminated; vehicle emissions are reduced; travel is safer and more convenient; and customer service is increased.  Interoperability of toll devices in vehicles today allow travelers to cross multiple jurisdictions using one reader card and one account.

Today’s Electronic Tolling in Action

However, this technology brings with it challenges related to enforcement and toll violators – both from within the tolling authorities’ jurisdictions and from others.  To achieve a seamless regional system that minimizes revenue losses required policies, legislation and reciprocity agreements.  The Eastern Transportation Coalition has served and will continue to serve as a forum to bring together toll authorities to work toward enforcement reciprocity, and to share lessons learned within the region and throughout the nation.

Interoperability Toll Violation Enforcement and Reciprocity Member Agency Tolling Enforcement Codes

Electronic Tolling is now commonplace, but there still remain travelers who may want to use toll facilities which do not operate with the customers’ existing toll tags. “Interoperability” allows systems to read each other’s tags to collect tolls. In some regions, toll customers already benefit from being able to use one tag and one account where toll operators use compatible toll tags. For example interoperability exists among different toll operators offering SunPass in Florida and across the states comprising the E-ZPass Group.

The Eastern Transportation Coalition organized the Toll Violation and Enforcement Reciprocity (TVER) Working Group to:

  • Advance violation enforcement reciprocity agreements;
  • Bring stakeholders together;
  • Leverage existing work;
  • Collaborate with key partners; and
  • Focus on legislative and cross-agency administrative challenges.

Over the course of 2019, this group has met twice in person.  The group effort started by conducting a survey among tolling agencies within Coalition member states to assess the current state of tolling in the corridor.  The survey highlighted common issues facing tolling agencies in this region.  Using this as a basis, the TVER Working Group has identified the following priority areas to explore:

  • Document key strategies and processes to increase customer service
  • Conduct cost/benefit analysis of administrative fee levels
  • Share best practices in collecting tolls from heavy violators
  • Compare threshold levels across states
  • Conduct cost/benefit analysis of second notice effectiveness

The authority to enforce the collection of tolls – both for travelers registered within a state and those registered out of state – is established and enforced in a variety of ways among the Coalition’s member agencies.  Below is posted the documents that grant these authorities, as they relate to each state.