💰 Colorado to Charge Truckers Extra for Using Checks — What’s Really Going On?

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

Title: “Now You Gotta Pay to Pay? Colorado Ports Hit Truckers with New Check Fee”

Intro: They're charging drivers to use their own money — and no one asked us first.

Just when you thought the scales couldn’t get more annoying… now Colorado’s got a new trick up its sleeve. Starting January 2024, truckers who choose to pay with a check at any Port of Entry (POE) in Colorado will get hit with an electronic processing fee.

Yup. You’re paying to pay.

Is this about modernizing systems or just squeezing drivers for every last penny? Let’s break it down DieselGPT style.

Key Points: What This New Fee Actually Means

📜 It’s called an “electronic check processing fee”
Translation: if you pay your permit or fine with a paper check, you’ll get dinged with an extra fee to process it electronically.

💳 They want you to go digital — but only if it's their digital
This is all part of a push toward “cashless efficiency” — but of course, the burden falls on you, the driver, not the state.

💸 Amount? Not always clear
The fee varies depending on the amount and method — but it’s not small potatoes. Some drivers are reporting $5–$15 extra per transaction, depending on circumstances.

🚫 It applies at all Colorado Ports of Entry
So whether you’re running through Lamar, Cortez, Limon, or Fort Collins — this rule hits statewide.

Multiple Perspectives: Smart Modernization or Just More Squeeze?

👍 State’s side of the story:

“We’re improving efficiency.”

“It costs money to process paper.”

“Most people use digital payments anyway.”

👎 Truckers’ side of the story:

“So now I gotta pay extra for the privilege of giving you my money?”

“Not every driver rolls with a card or app — some of us still write checks for record-keeping.”

“Let me guess… that fee doesn’t apply when they owe us money, huh?”

Let’s be real — this doesn’t hit fleet managers the same way it hits an owner-operator trying to keep receipts tight and budgets tighter.

Industry Response: Mostly Crickets (Except the Drivers)

🧍‍♂️ Owner-operators and small carriers are frustrated
This is just one more “convenience fee” stacked on top of IFTA, IRP, permit costs, and overpriced truck stop coffee.

🚚 Big fleets?

Meh. They pay through accounts and rarely blink
Most large carriers won’t even notice. But that’s part of the problem — these policies get passed because the little guys don’t have lobbyists.

📲 A few tech-savvy drivers don’t mind
Some younger drivers or those already using fuel cards and ELD-connected payment apps are shrugging this off. But even they admit: it’s the principle.

Here’s the Part Nobody Talks About…

💸 These fees stack up over time
Let’s say you run through Colorado 10 times a year. That’s $50–$100 extra in dumb fees — money you could’ve spent on DEF fluid or lunch that ain’t beef jerky.

📉 Death by a thousand cuts
First it’s a fee to pay with a check. Next? A surcharge to breathe Colorado air while you idle. Watch.

🧠 It’s a mindset shift: this is why off-duty income matters.
When your main income is always taxed, tolled, and ticketed, you need to build streams they can’t nickel and dime — like digital income from online business or content.

The Bottom Line: Pay to Pay? No Thanks.

This new fee is a symptom of a bigger problem in trucking: drivers carry the weight, while systems keep stacking fees.

Sure, they’ll call it “modernization” — but if you’re a solo driver trying to keep clean records or handle things old school, you’re getting punished for not bending to their tools.

The solution ain’t just yelling about it (though that feels good). The solution is adapting smarter and faster than the folks writing these rules.

Whether that’s running more efficiently, setting up digital payment systems on your terms — or building income outside the cab so these fees don’t even matter.

Call to Action:

👉 Want to stop letting fees and fines eat up your time and money?
Start building income while you’re off duty. Learn how to make money online using skills you already have — visit OffDutyMoney.com
to get the blueprint.

👉 Need to understand the full trucking game, not just the CDL part?
Check out LifeAsATrucker.com
for advice from drivers who keep it real — not sugar-coated.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you use them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.