CTNewsJunkie.com reports, on January 1, 2023, Connecticut will begin to collect a mileage-based Highway Use Fee on heavy trucks that was approved by lawmakers in 2021. Anyone who operates a Class 8 through Class 13 vehicle with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more on any state highway is subject to reporting mileage and paying a fee that ranges between 2.5 cents per mile (for trucks weighing between 26,000 and 28,000 pounds) to 17.5 cents per mile (for trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds). At the time the fee statute was enacted, state officials reckoned it would yield an additional $90 million a year for transportation projects.
According to News 12 Long Island, fee critics in the trucking industry are questioning whether all operators will file mileage returns and make payments. The president of the state trucking association claims, “Out-of-state truckers that only maybe come through the state a couple of times a month are unlikely to pay. They may not even know about the tax itself.” A state revenue agency official responds that steps have been taken to notify trucking companies nationwide and tools, such as audits and a permit registration requirement, are in place to enforce compliance.