Arkansas Trucking Association

RI truckers move national conference due to tolling plan

A national trucking conference planned for 2018 was relocated in response to the RhodeWorks truck toll plan.

"We basically in essence had a deal in place, and unfortunately right about that time with the passage of RhodeWorks, my peers approached and felt the climate wasn't quite right to start bringing people from around the nation to Rhode Island," said Chris Maxwell from the Rhode Island Trucking Association.

Maxwell said 200 trucking executives would have been in Newport, along with vendors from the biggest trucking companies in the country.

He said the industry is dead set against the truck toll plan, and will fight it every way it can.

"I think it's going to happen long-term with carriers bypassing the state,” Maxwell said, “I think it's going to happen with carriers electing to not do business in this state. I think it will happen with carriers electing to move out of the state. If you want to call it punishment, I guess you could say that."

Maxwell said his organization is not giving up the fight to prevent tolls on just trucks.

"We intend to continue to try and stop it in Rhode Island so it doesn't resonate around the country," he said. "It's not the way to fund our infrastructure. The funds are there -- the funds have been there. "