Hey, hopefully this is the right spot to post this. I have a question about paying to use toll roads in the states if you're a Canadian. A few years ago I was in Washington state and drove a toll road and there was no booth (cameras?) and didn't pay anything. Last summer in Texas the same thing happened. Toll routes are a foreign concept where I'm from so I don't really get what I'm supposed to do. I'll be in New York/New England area next summer and see there are plenty of tolls and I don't mind paying them, but if there isn't an old fashion booth am I supposed to? How? Thanks for the help!

Good question, I would like to know the answer myself. I have always paid the tolls while passing through New England, that is where there are toll booths that are attended. Now there is a place on the Mass Pike that removed their toll booths last Oct-Nov time period and installed cameras. When we went to Florida last Dec I had to fine a way around the toll, that involved going on country roads and towns. I did contact the Mass Pike authority before we left home and all they would tell me was to get an E-Z Pass or drive through and they would bill me, I would have 30 days to pay the bill. I have talked to other Canadians who said they drove through and haven't received a bill yet. I sure would like to know before we go south again the fall.

Everybody pays tolls! I wish they were a foreign concept, but unfortunately, they are a way of life here in the states.If you went through a toll and there was no attended booth, they probably have a "pay by plate" system where the cameras take a picture of your plate and bill you. If you haven't received a bill yet, you're probably just lucky!I don't know how prevalent this system is in the NE, I haven't seen it yet in NJ or PA.

Only those states who have DMV reciprocity agreements with your province could charge you. It definitely works across the border, as I drive the 407 around Toronto and I get a bill here in Michigan.

I set my GPS to avoid tolls and minimize my exposure that way. Keep in mind that depending on your RV configuration, the tolls are always going to be higher than a passenger car. Most of the time you pay a toll for each axle or even the fact that you have a dual wheel axle. I have seen toll booths disappear in favor of EZ Pass. For the few times I found myself on an EZ Pass road, I never got a bill. Maybe it is too much trouble to pursue the occasional missed toll; the efficiency of EZ Pass more than makes up for it. Cameras are everywhere in the Lower 48. Not only monitoring the toll plazas, but there are red light and speed cameras. How is this for a money maker: In Montgomery County, Maryland, there are speed cameras set up in such a fashion that it is a sure thing to catch drivers going too fast as the speed zone transitions. Here is how they get into your pocket. A private company sets up the camera. An employee serves as a 'Deputy' and reviews the 'evidence' which gets forwarded to the court. A ticket is issued and sent to the address of record for the licensed vehicle. You the owner are presumed guilty unless you can prove someone else was driving the vehicle. To encourage people to just pay the ticket and move on, the fine is set relatively low and treated not as a moving violation, but as a parking ticket and thus no points are charged against the driver. No one is going to go to court to dispute this for maybe a $40 ticket. The traffic camera company makes money and the county makes money with no capital outlay. A win-win situation, but not for you. I read a story a few years back about a business man who got caught twice on the same day in one town. He was so angry about the cheesy setup that he cancelled all of his expansion plans to build in that town. I figure they lost a few million dollars in economic activity in that town. A friend in New Jersey tells me that they will track you down to get that extra nickel. And one more thing, some toll roads and bridges only collect in one directions counting on round trip drivers for revenue. I plan my routes with this in mind. I can get from Baltimore to New York State with no tolls, but the other way around you can count on at least some tolls. On one southbound trip I planned to cross a river using a state highway instead of the interstate. Just as I approached the bridge, I saw a sign posted that had a 5 ton weight limit and our rig was at least 6 tons. I might have crossed the bridge except for the local police car that was in full view. It would be my luck that I would be seen, so I went back, got onto the Interstate and paid the toll. Try driving from New Jersey to Maryland through Delaware on I-95. You may have to take out a second mortgage on your house.

Flarpswitch wrote: : In Montgomery County, Maryland, there are speed cameras set up in such a fashion that it is a sure thing to catch drivers going too fast as the speed zone transitions. .going too fast, where's the beef?bumpy

Do Canadians pay tolls? | Good Sam Community

John___Angela
Explorer
Jun 20, 2017
I don't know about tolls but we got home to BC this year and found a fine in our mail box for a rolling stop in Palm Springs california. Ouch. A picture of me at the wheel. Oops.
VE3ESN
Explorer
Jun 20, 2017
Yeah, I refuse to support the conglomerate that obtained a 99-year lease when a previous provincial government stupidly "sold" the 407, and at far less than market value at that time. Besides, the 407 tolls are, IMHO, outrageously high, among the highest tolls in North America. So now I'll get down off my soapbox!
shum02
Explorer
Jun 20, 2017
VE3ESN wrote:
shum02 wrote:
sch911 wrote:
Only those states who have DMV reciprocity agreements with your province could charge you. It definitely works across the border, as I drive the 407 around Toronto and I get a bill here in Michigan.

x2

NY State has a reciprocity agreement with Ontario so I have to pay NY tolls as well. No agreement? You could still get a bill but if you don't pay they won't hold your licence/tags hostage at the DMV/MOT.

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

I'll assume then you don't use the 407 then? Not having a transponder and paying a couple of "video" charges more than makes up for the yearly rental. If you don't use it, the 407, no worries.
sam22
Explorer III
Jun 20, 2017
Thanks for the info...I think I'll just take my chances next summer!
marpel
Explorer
Jun 20, 2017
I routinely drive from British Columbia to Denver, Co and back, sometimes pulling our trailer, other times with just the truck.

In both Washington and Colorado, I have driven toll roads (not manned booths but auto-capture facilities). After about a year of this and not receiving a bill in the mail, I actually phoned the two agencies that manage the tolls for each state. I thought it was my responsibility to pay whatever was owing (and as well, I did not want to risk being stopped for a traffic violation and getting arrested when the officer ran my name and discovered that I had a warrant for unpaid monies owed to the state!!).

I actually spoke to a rep in each state and was informed that neither agency had any access to the computer records to enable any Canadian plates to provide registered owner details, so they do not even keep those toll records. In further conversation, they stated they did not think any state was capable of billing Canadian plates (they believed but were not absolutely certain, so the eastern states could be different).

Keep in mind, this is only related to tolls and traffic issues like photo radar may be different (although I used to be a cop and don't believe we had a reciprocal agreement with Washington state to share r.o. records for traffic matters either).

Marv
VE3ESN
Explorer
Jun 19, 2017
Dutch_12078 wrote:
VE3ESN wrote:

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

Jerry, do you have the NYS Thruway's E-ZPass Motorhome Plan? We have it, and we pay standard E-ZPass passenger car per axle rates for our motorhome on the Thruway. There's also a discount plan for 5'vers.

E-ZPass Tag Order Form
Motorhome/Passenger Vehicle Towing Combinations

Yup, that's the plan we have. For our Roadtrek class B, we pay the car rate on the New York Thruway and other toll roads in states that accept EZ-Pass. The links you provided should certainly be of benefit to others.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2017
VE3ESN wrote:

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

Jerry, do you have the NYS Thruway's E-ZPass Motorhome Plan? We have it, and we pay standard E-ZPass passenger car per axle rates for our motorhome on the Thruway. There's also a discount plan for 5'vers.

E-ZPass Tag Order Form
Motorhome/Passenger Vehicle Towing Combinations
obgraham
Explorer
Jun 19, 2017
This works both ways: signs indicated a toll to cross the Fraser River Bridge on the #1 heading to North Vancouver, with warnings to get off before the toll if you didn't want to pay.

Never saw a toll booth. Figured I'd see some sort of overpriced bill in the mail later on, but never heard another thing about it.

They didn't bring out the cuffs next time I entered Canada, so who knows?
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Jun 19, 2017
yep, it pays to shop around for ezpass cards. I chose Del. 20 or 25 deposit, only charge is if you use it.
bumpy
VE3ESN
Explorer
Jun 19, 2017
shum02 wrote:
sch911 wrote:
Only those states who have DMV reciprocity agreements with your province could charge you. It definitely works across the border, as I drive the 407 around Toronto and I get a bill here in Michigan.

x2

NY State has a reciprocity agreement with Ontario so I have to pay NY tolls as well. No agreement? You could still get a bill but if you don't pay they won't hold your licence/tags hostage at the DMV/MOT.

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

Forum Discussion

Do Canadians pay tolls?

About Bucket List Trips

Related Content

Pay or No Pay?

toll charges

Chicago tolls

Toll Roads

Canadian Snowbird Future