US appeals court backs truckers in legal fight against tolls

A tractor trailer truck rolls beneath a toll gantry on the first day that Rhode Island began collecting tolls on large trucks, June 11, 2018. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

By The Associated PressĀ 

A federal appeals court has backed the trucking industry in its legal fight to end Rhode Island’s truck tolls.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling to dismiss the suit.

The lower court in March said the case should be heard in state court.

The appeals court said the tolls Rhode Island started charging on its highways last year are not state taxes protected under federal law from federal court review.

The ruling sends the case back to U.S. District Court.

The suit was brought by the American Trucking Associations and three trucking companies.

 

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