The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has invited truckers to join federal and state lawmakers in Pennsylvania to speak against proposed tolls on Interstate 80.

The Association issued a Call to Action this week to its 5,500 members in Pennsylvania urging them to attend the rally, scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., Monday, Sept. 24, on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg.

OOIDA officials and members will be joined by U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-PA, to speak in opposition to the proposal approved by state lawmakers to impose new tolls on I-80.

Truckers wishing to participate in the event can park their rigs, starting at 11 a.m., at the TravelCenters of America plaza at the Manada Hill Exit on Interstate 81 – Exit 77 on Interstate 81 at State Route 39 (see map below).

From there, participants will be joined by Peterson and taken by bus or shuttle to the event on the Capitol steps. Trucks are not permitted to park in the vicinity of the capitol building.

The TA is approximately eight miles from the Capitol.

Peterson has invited representatives from Natso, the restaurant industry and the warehousing sector to join in the rally.

OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer is scheduled to speak on the importance of fighting tolls on interstates.

Spencer told Land Line that responsible spending could have avoided the so-called budget deficits that the Pennsylvania governor and others claim.

“When the problem you have is holes in the system that allow money to flow out of the highway system, putting more sand or more water into the bucket does not solve the problem,” Spencer said.

Spencer will introduce Peterson, who has been critical of Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission over the I-80 toll proposal.

“I am fully committed to work day and night to ensure that I-80 remains a freeway,” Peterson stated in a recent press release on the topic.

Peterson and three other lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Phil English, R-PA, introduced legislation Sept. 10 to put an end to federal tolling programs for interstates.

Currently, the Federal Highway Administration has six programs used to grant authority to states to toll interstates for upgrades, new construction or to relieve congestion.

OOIDA officials oppose such programs.

“Tolling I-80 is double taxation,” said Melissa Theriault, OOIDA associate director of government affairs.

Theriault said new tolls on I-80 would force truck traffic onto secondary roads and create a safety issue on those roads.

– By David Tanner, staff writer
david_tanner@landlinemag.com