Trucking companies in Western New York are being severely overcharged when using the E-Z Pass along the New York State Thruway, company executives say.
Based on billing statements going back as far as May, Edward Krafft, owner of Krafft Trucking Inc, and Christine Anderson, office manager for King Petroleum, say that they are being severely overcharged at the Exit 55 cashless tolling gantry – the same location that the Thruway authority says experienced issues and was repaired back in April of this year.
Since the issue was detected, the Thruway Authority has reported that it has been resolved, but the trucking companies that frequently pass through that tolling gantry say they are still being asked to pay unfair charges.
“Well I’ve got the May statement right here. I was charged $75.67. The amount should have been $9.30. They owe me $66.37,” Krafft said to ABC 7 News.
“I have contested it. I have gotten $81.57 back. That was my credit. The rest of it… I guess I eat it,” he continued.
On top of the incorrectly excessive toll prices, trucking companies also say they are being billed for tractors and trailers separately via Tolls by Mail.
“It shows the picture of the trailer. The trailer has nothing to do with the E-Z Pass tag. If I’ve already been charged with the tractor, how can you charge me with the license plate of the trailer? They’re double dipping basically,” Anderson said.
While both Anderson and Kraftt say they’ve attempted to dispute the Tolls by Mail charges by using the E-Z Pass charges as proof of payment, they’ve received very little help or compassion from the tolling authorities. They also say that getting a representative on the phone is nearly impossible.
“[They told me] ‘We received your dispute,’ but basically I still owe it. They want me to pay $47.70. They’re racking me twice I believe,” Anderson said.
“You can try to get them on the phone if you’re good for two or three hours. Someone may pick up if they don’t hang up,” Krafft said.
“Give me a call. Let’s go over it. Let’s discuss it. Tell me what I owe and I’ll pay it,” Anderson added.
In response, the Thruway authority issued the following statement:
“The Authority continues to actively work with the E-ZPass Customer Service Center to identify and correct any charges to impacted customers. We encourage all individual customers with New York E-ZPass accounts to check their E-ZPass accounts and contact the E-ZPass customer service center at 800-333-8655 if they notice any discrepancies.”