A bill that would eliminate a new fee targeting Illinois truckers is picking up steam in the state’s Senate.

The bill, HB0412, which passed the House by a vote of 90-7, would eliminate the commercial distribution fee, a 36 percent surcharge on truck registration fees. Under the bill, the fee would end as soon as the bill becomes effective; it would also restore the rolling stock exemption back to its terms before the passage of that fee.

Since it arrived in the upper chamber, HB412 has added 12 co-sponsors in the 59-member chamber. Its primary sponsor is Sen. George Shadid, D-Pekin, chairman of the upper chamber’s Transportation Committee.

The fee became part of Illinois law last year with the passage of SB841. It immediately sparked opposition from the trucking industry.

For trucks that run all of their miles in the state, SB841 increased the registration fee of $2,790 by $1,005 to a new total of $3,795. The state imposed the new fee immediately on intrastate truckers, whose plates were due the same day the bill became effective, July 1, 2003.