Rhode Island plans truck toll return in 2027

Rhode Island is moving toward bringing back truck-only tolls in July 2027, and truckers in the state are pushing back over a plan to soften the cost for local businesses.

Rhode Island first launched its truck tolling program in 2018 to help pay for bridge repairs and other infrastructure work. In September 2022, a U.S. District Court ruled the program unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause, saying it discriminated against interstate commerce by disproportionately burdening out-of-state trucking companies.

The state appealed, and in December 2024, a federal appeals court reversed that ruling. The court said there was not enough evidence that the tolling program put out-of-state truckers at a “significant” competitive disadvantage, so it did not violate the Commerce Clause.

That decision allowed Rhode Island to bring back truck tolling, but it also struck down the program’s daily toll caps. The appeals court said those caps disproportionately helped local trucking companies, which made that part of the program unconstitutional.

According to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the state is working on a fix that would lower tolls by 25% for all trucks crossing the gantries. RIDOT expects tolls to be reactivated in July 2027 once upgrades to the toll gantries and billing systems are complete.

The Rhode Island Trucking Association has opposed the return of the truck-only tolls. In June 2025, the group called the program a “flawed and reckless scheme” and urged lawmakers to “nail the coffin shut” on the tolls.

Chris Maxwell, the group’s president, said the burden will fall mostly on local businesses and that a 25% reduction is not enough. “This is no longer just a trucking issue as 94% of the truck toll burden will be shouldered by R.I. businesses and consumers,” Maxwell said. “We seek a 100% reduction which is in the best interests of all Rhode Islanders – something the Governor has lost sight of.”