ATA ordered to pay $200,000 to state of Rhode Island after years-long fight over truck-only tolling

The American Trucking Associations has been ordered to pay the state of Rhode Island $200,000 after a years-long fight and several different rulings over truck-only tolling. 

The years-long back and forth started when the ATA worked with trucking companies to lead a lawsuit against the state of Rhode Island for truck-only tolls along the state’s highways. In 2022, a judge sided with the trucking companies and ruled the truck-only tolls unconstitutional, ordering them to be stopped within 48 hours of the ruling.

“Trucks accounted for 3% or less of the total traffic but were paying 100% of the tolls. And that is clearly not a reasonable allocation or approximation of their usage of these facilities,” said Reginald Goeke, attorney for the American Trucking Association, back in 2022.

Then in 2024, another court overturned the ruling that deemed the tolls unconstitutional. That ruling allowed the state to resume the truck-only tolls, and did not allow for caps on how many times a single truck may be tolled in a day. 

The most recent decision was made on Friday, March 27th, 2026, as the ATA sought to recover attorney’s fees from the state of Rhode Island, reported 10WJAR. The court found that the ATA failed to prove it was entitled to reimbursement, and ordered the ATA to pay the state $200,000 instead.