Sure, this'll make you want to get a FastLane transponder
By adamg - 2/26/09 - 8:59 am
Seems the system can't always tell the difference between a Yaris and a large box truck, so thousands of turnpike commuters have been getting overcharged, the Herald reports.
Comments
The axle system should be
The axle system should be axed anyway.
A truck with 4 axles is spreading outs its weight better than one with two, and thus, causing less tear on the road.
Doing the math
At maximum weight, a well-distributed 2-axle truck is carrying 23,000 lbs per axle and a 4-axle truck is carrying about 22,000 lbs per axle.
However, the 2-axle truck is running 2 axles at that weight on the pavement. The 4-axle truck is basically running as if it were 2 2-axle trucks in terms of weight per axle per truck...
The axle system makes perfect sense since they allow a 4-axle truck to carry almost twice as much weight as a 2-axle truck AND it's much easier to count axles on the fly at an EZPass passthru than truck weight.
you can get a statement
You can request a written statement from the MTA-- you get 1 for the 1st three months then they stop sending it unless you call in and ask. When I was commuting 80 miles a day, I reviewed it in detail every month -- and 11 months out of 12 I would find at least 1 or 2 errors as described in the Herald. MTA was always very friendly and took them off right away. It's not just weather that causes the problem. In rush hour, when everyone's on top of each other, the readers might miss the car behind you (as in doesn't realize it's a new car and thinks you are a semi--happens year-round based on my experience)