Trucking Protests Planned Ohio Turnpike Toll Increase

The head of the Ohio Trucking Assn. is among the witnesses scheduled to testify next Monday at a hearing in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, on a planned 10% increase in tolls on the Ohio Turnpike.

Tom King, executive vice president of the association, said trucking can’t afford the higher tolls, which would raise a one-way trip on the turnpike to $50 for an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer.

"The increase will drive more truckers off the Turnpike onto local roads, to the detriment of local communities," Mr. King said.

A figure cited by turnpike authority officials of a $13.25 increase applies to pickup trucks.