Truckers Sue Over NY Thruway Tolls To Canal System

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published November 14, 2013 at 4:31 PM EST

A national trucking group has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the diversion of New York Thruway tolls for state canal maintenance.

American Trucking Associations says it sued Thursday in the Southern District of New York, claiming that the inflated commercial tolls violate truckers' constitutional rights under the Commerce Clause. The truckers want the practice to stop.

Legislation switching the Canal System to the Thruway Authority was enacted in 1992. The trucking group claims that the authority spent more than $100 million of toll money on the canals last year.

A spokesman for the authority says it has not been served with court papers and has no comment.

The Thruway Authority board last December dropped plans for a 45-percent increase in truck tolls.

Tags

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas