Would you pay $20.00 a week for Ez Pass and Pre Pass.

LDB · Jan 13, 2012

I know this isn't the intent of this thread but bluntly, it sounds like something some of our well known carrier friends would do just like they do the QC and anything else they "provide" to the trucks.

Hey, here's a deal for you and for only $20 a week you get to bypass scales and some of the tolls you encounter. What? You want to know the actual cost? You want to know what we're making off this? Oh. Well. Truthfully, it's $3.12 a week for the scales bypass plus the tolls which for many users averages a few dollars a week at most and for some is near zero. Overall we only make 52.7% profit on your $20 fee, about the same as we're making each week from your $35 QC weekly fee.

Now, again, I'm certain Dave didn't start this with that idea at all. Dave is a stand up guy. It's just the egregious overcharging on the QC that makes anything else a carrier does suspicious.

Pre-Pass is definitely a good idea. Combine the 10 minutes or so savings per scale with the 1-2 gallons of fuel savings per scale and it puts money into your pocket from the 3rd green light on every month.

scottm4211 · Jan 13, 2012

I pay $3.50 a week for Sirius/XM so I'm good. But thanks.

HHDLLC · Jan 13, 2012

highway star said:
20 minutes in a scale line? Where does that ever happen?

You ever hear of the Banning scales.

Monty · Jan 13, 2012

The carrier should not be a part of the decisions .. get your own, it simply uses your comapny's date to decide inspect, or not. I had the "Best Pass" for years in the semi, paid for it myself.

gotta go · Jan 13, 2012

I have BestPass from the Maryland Motor Truck Association. It costs me $1.50 a month. The EZ pass is set for automatic refill to $100 when it drops below $25. The Prepass is $13.50 a month through OOIDA. Norpass is free.
So why would a thinking person pay $20.00 a week?

davekc · Jan 13, 2012

LDB said:
I know this isn't the intent of this thread but bluntly, it sounds like something some of our well known carrier friends would do just like they do the QC and anything else they "provide" to the trucks.

Hey, here's a deal for you and for only $20 a week you get to bypass scales and some of the tolls you encounter. What? You want to know the actual cost? You want to know what we're making off this? Oh. Well. Truthfully, it's $3.12 a week for the scales bypass plus the tolls which for many users averages a few dollars a week at most and for some is near zero. Overall we only make 52.7% profit on your $20 fee, about the same as we're making each week from your $35 QC weekly fee.

Now, again, I'm certain Dave didn't start this with that idea at all. Dave is a stand up guy. It's just the egregious overcharging on the QC that makes anything else a carrier does suspicious.

Pre-Pass is definitely a good idea. Combine the 10 minutes or so savings per scale with the 1-2 gallons of fuel savings per scale and it puts money into your pocket from the 3rd green light on every month.

I would agree that if this was offered through several nameless carriers, it would basically be a profit center for the carrier.
The only question mark there Leo is I am not seeing someone burning through "1 to 2 gallons" of fuel at every scale stop.

Tennesseahawk · Jan 13, 2012

I think he meant 1-2 per month, which I could see maybe 1.

davekc · Jan 13, 2012

Tennesseahawk said:
I think he meant 1-2 per month, which I could see maybe 1.

Hope so. Not even sure on a gallon to tell you the truth.

MANIAC · Jan 13, 2012

Our carrier pays for tolls and have a ez pass transponder furnished by them, we have a pre pass transponder that we pay $13.50/month! We get a discount for being an ooida member! It's worth it for us!:d

Bruno · Jan 13, 2012

I think you guys are missing the whole point. Most carriers only pay for tolls on the loaded miles, NOT the deadhead miles, not the empty move miles, or if you're coming home for time off. Paying $20.00 is not that bad per truck if they are paying all tolls where ever the truck goes. If you think that $80.00 a month is a profit center you are totally wrong. I had EZ Pass in our trucks and where paying around $350.00 to $400.00 a month per truck with our own Ez Pass account. Our Pre Pass was $16.00 a month per truck. As a fleet owner that runs Ny Turnpike, Ill Turnpike, Indiana turnpike, Ohio Turnpike, Pa Turnpike, Nj Turnpike. Wv Turnpike , Mass Turnpike and many others. I would have no problem paying it. Three axle D-unit aren't cheap nor is a Tractor Trailer, which we have six 10 wheelers and two tractors and six two axle D- units. So 280.00 a week or $1120.00 per month for EZ Pass and Pre Pass is a whole lot cheaper than the amount we where paying for pre paid tolls and to be able to by pass scales.

Turtle · Jan 13, 2012

I think you're missing your own point, and are doing so with apples and oranges, and a few pears and bananas tossed in. For one, carriers that reimburse tolls will reimburse DH tolls to go pick up the load, in addition to loaded mile. I don't know of many who will reimburse "empty move" or "headin'-home" tolls regardless, but whatever those are they can't add up to very much, and whatever they cost it's more or less irrelevant to what you're doing.

I think your question should be phrased as the possible scenarios you've laid out above:

Scenario A: Should I pay for tolls myself?

Scenario B: Should I submit tolls for reimbursement?

Scenario C: Should I pay the carrier $20 a week and also submit tolls for reimbursement?

If your unpaid tolls for DH and goin' home miles equal more than $20 a week, then the $20 a week and submitting tolls is the way to go.

But the scenario of "$20 a week and submitting tolls" versus "$400 a month and not submitting tolls" is a pineapple.

OntarioVanMan · Jan 13, 2012

Bruno said:
I think you guys are missing the whole point. Most carriers only pay for tolls on the loaded miles, NOT the deadhead miles, not the empty move miles, or if you're coming home for time off. Paying $20.00 is not that bad per truck if they are paying all tolls where ever the truck goes. If you think that $80.00 a month is a profit center you are totally wrong. I had EZ Pass in our trucks and where paying around $350.00 to $400.00 a month per truck with our own Ez Pass account. Our Pre Pass was $16.00 a month per truck. As a fleet owner that runs Ny Turnpike, Ill Turnpike, Indiana turnpike, Ohio Turnpike, Pa Turnpike, Nj Turnpike. Wv Turnpike , Mass Turnpike and many others. I would have no problem paying it. Three axle D-unit aren't cheap nor is a Tractor Trailer, which we have six 10 wheelers and two tractors and six two axle D- units. So 280.00 a week or $1120.00 per month for EZ Pass and Pre Pass is a whole lot cheaper than the amount we where paying for pre paid tolls and to be able to by pass scales.

Bruno..so what you are proposing is a $20.00 weekly fee for ALL miles on tollways? in return your company will pay such tolls?

CharlesD · Jan 13, 2012

As a carrier, I'd do that in a heartbeat, because of the times the truck wouldn't run in the toll areas and we'd be collecting money from a driver for nothing. As a driver, no way I'd do that. I'd just as soon get it on my own and not pay for it when I'm not doing toll roads, or when I have enough time to bypass toll roads.

OntarioVanMan · Jan 13, 2012

CharlesD said:
As a carrier, I'd do that in a heartbeat, because of the times the truck wouldn't run in the toll areas and we'd be collecting money from a driver for nothing. As a driver, no way I'd do that. I'd just as soon get it on my own and not pay for it when I'm not doing toll roads, or when I have enough time to bypass toll roads.

But Charles..all it would take is 1 empty move say Youngstown to Toledo and the 20 bucks would be covered....and a real lazy driver would have NO paperwork to submit....just drive...

MissKat · Jan 13, 2012

Amen, we paid $52 on the PA turnpike today cash. Usually take non toll roads but today was prescribed.

MissKat · Jan 13, 2012

I paid $13.50 for prepass on my own driving an owners truck and paid $50 cash for an IPass in Illinois that covered most tolls with the autofill. I printed my bank records for toll reimbursement monthly. With the new cash toll prices I would prefer the IPass or similar discount. I drive a tt, and yes, there are wait times at scales. Bypassing would be a relief. The inspectors these days are trying to keep their jobs by getting bonus points for each writeup they turn in with negatives. I for one do not appreciate the way CA for one rewards their DOT inspectors for nitpicking in a big way. An airline doughnut with a small nick on the edge? Come on.

LDB · Jan 13, 2012

No, I mean per stop. Cruising past the scale at 63mph and 9 mpg vs less than that while stopping and crawling through the scale and 4 mpg or so while building back up to speed probably eats at least an extra gallon.

Turtle · Jan 13, 2012

The people who promote and distribute the PrePass transponders estimate .4 gallons per stop (and 5 minutes per stop). They use these figures in their "Savings Calculator". I think the .4 gallons per stop is a bit high. It's closer to .15, maybe as high as .2 gallons per scale stop.

5 minutes for the average scale entry (versus a bypass the course of an average of 16 bypasses per month) is .083 hours, and pure idling is a tad under a gallon per hour on the average (it's .8, but we'll round up to a full gallon), which means the idling time per average stop uses .083 gallons. The fuel used to ramp back up to speed is mostly offset by the fuel decrease while slowing down to scalehouse speed, tho.

Their estimate of .4 gallons per stop equates to 4.8 gallons per hour to idle. That's not even close. So the difference between 4.8 and .8 (or 1.0 rounding up) would mean that it takes 3.8 gallons to go from a stop to highway speed over the course of half a mile or so. M1A1 Army tanks get better fuel mileage. It's somewhere between their high estimate of .4 and the pure idling .083. If you split it down the middle it's just .2 gallons (which is about where Leo's 4 MPG average would put you to get up to highway speed).