Ill. Fee Increases Get Thumbs Up

Trucking has given a thumbs up to two proposals to raise licensing fees in Illinois and the thumbs down to legislation that would introduce new smoke regulations in the state with the nation's highest truck traffic.

Gov. George Ryan suggested an increase in truck registration fees as part of a funding plan to pay for the most expensive public works effort ever in Illinois.

Trucking considers the governor's spending plan beneficial and has been warm to another proposal making its way through the state legislature that would increase the commercial licensing fee to put more state troopers on patrol to conduct roadside inspections of trucks. However, a third bill to create smoke testing rules has been called potentially devastating to trucking companies.

The Illinois Transportation Association announced it will back Ryan's efforts to repair the state's transportation system, even though trucks already account for 50% of the road fund.

The Republican governor calls his program Illinois FIRST, which stands for Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools and Transit. He wants to raise the cost to register a truck by 15%, a move that would make Illinois truck registrations the fourth-highest in the United States. Car and light truck owners would be hit even harder with a doubling of the fees for a license plate and a $37 increase in passenger vehicle title charges.

Also, the plan calls for selling $4.3 billion in bonds and raising the taxes on alcohol.

The higher fees would pay for a $12 billion wish list of public infrastructure projects, including money for school construction and local projects like sewers and bicycle trails. The $8.2 billion earmarked for transportation needs includes $3.7 billion for roads and bridges, $4.1 billion for mass transit and $75 million toward a proposed third Chicago-area regional airport.

For the full story, see the May 17 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.