After traveling on quite a few toll roads with no issues on my rig (always charged normal rate) I was double charged for the hack. I argued a bit and lost. Florida charges tolls by the number of axles, and that means with the hack's extra wheel axle, technically it qualifies the same as a car pulling a trailer. Never mind the fact that tolls are generally increased as vehicle weight increases and that my rig still weighs less than any car. It appears to be a loophole that needs to be closed. Anyone else ever had this problem? Just think, if I pulled a trailer I would be charged like an 18 wheeler...
Talk to Hal Kendall at hal-kendall@worldnet.att.net. He is the resident guru on toll issues.
Contact the American Motorcycle Association and give their folks a heads up on the policy. Because by the logic you pou provided a standard automobile has four axles and should be assesed at a higher rate.
Each spindle for the wheels and bearings to revolve about is an axle and the State of Florida needs to be re-imbursed for under collection of tolls on automobiles. That would start many a blue haired cager to screaming. 🙂
Could you imagine the toll collectors face if you flew the side car in, through the toll? Bhahahaha
LOL! Don't get me started on toll roads and the logic behind the tolls ne pays out with them. I had a Model A Ford up on a trailer and pulled behind a 27 foot U-Haul truck when we moved a few years back. Got zapped in Oklahoma about 10 different times as I crossed through the state, headed to Texas. Since I also had two other people in big U-Haul trucks in my party, it was not cheap at all to pay out the wazoo in crossing through Oklahoma. The per axle rate seemed to vary depending on which toll booth operator was working that day. I learned to carry lots and lots of quarters when in the great state of Oklahoma. Not sure where the money went though, as the roads were not pristine there for sure.
Huey
If you want the rules changed:
Write to or speak with your State Representatives, Join AMA or some other Motorcycle rights Organization, write a few OP/ED articles and send them to your local paper, send feedback letters to Magazines, etc.
Make noise, you're preaching to the choir, here.
These things have been chanced in other states, but it takes time and a little perseverance.
I got the ball rolling on sidecar training parity (with the two wheelers) here in Washington State simply by talking one on one with a State representative who happened to be the chair of the State transportation commitee. She said she would look in to it and the next session of the Legislature it was put into law. Several others were involved, but someone has to start the ball rolling. In this case it just happened to be me.
Now one doesn't have to furnish their own licensed and insured sidecar rig
for state endorsed training and the State subsidizes the first $100.00 of the cost. This is financed with three wheel endorsement fees so there is no load on the general public, were paying our own way. As it should be.
Lonnie Cook
Northwest Sidecar
nwsidecar@aol.com
