💰 Do Truckers Pay Their “Fair Share”? The Truth About Highway Funding

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

Introduction

You’ve heard the talk: "Trucks tear up the roads but don’t pay enough!"
Really? Try telling that to a trucker paying $1,500 in IFTA taxes, $22,000 in IRP fees, plus fuel taxes, tolls, and special permits just to exist on the highway. While some media and politicians act like truckers are freeloaders, the numbers tell a very different story. So let’s dig into who’s actually pulling the weight when it comes to keeping America’s highways funded.

🚧 What Makes Up Highway Funding?

Most federal and state highway funding comes from:

Fuel Taxes – Both diesel and gas at the pump

Vehicle Registration Fees – IRP and state-level truck tags

Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) – Annual tax on 55k+ lb vehicles

Tolls – Especially in the Northeast, Midwest, and Florida

IFTA – International Fuel Tax Agreement: pays taxes to each state based on where you burn fuel

Misc Fees – Oversize/overweight permits, UCR, ELD compliance costs

Now here’s the kicker…

📊 Truckers Cover *More Than Their Share*

• A single Class 8 truck pays between $15,000–$30,000 a year in highway-related taxes and fees.
• In 2023, the trucking industry paid nearly 45% of all highway user fees at the federal level—but only made up 5–10% of total traffic volume.

Meanwhile, passenger vehicles make up the vast majority of road usage—but don't pay nearly as much per mile.

A 2021 Congressional Budget Office study showed:

Passenger cars pay ~1.2¢ per mile in fuel taxes

Trucks pay ~17¢ to 30¢ per mile when you combine all truck-only fees

So when people say, “Truckers don’t pay their fair share,” they’re ignoring the math.

💡 But What About the Wear and Tear Argument?

Yes, heavy trucks cause more wear on pavement—especially poorly built roads.
But consider this:

Truck routes are already restricted to heavily engineered highways

Trucks get hit with overweight fines instantly, while overloaded pickup trucks skate by

Local road damage? More often from construction equipment, utility trucks, and bus fleets—not OTR trucks

And don’t forget…
Most damage to roads comes from water, freeze-thaw cycles, and cheap construction—not just weight.

📣 Who's REALLY Getting a Free Ride?

Electric cars: They use roads, but skip fuel taxes entirely

Carpoolers & hybrid drivers: Light road use, but still don’t contribute more than $100–$200/year in taxes

Cities that ban trucks but rely on them: Urban areas love Amazon, but push trucks into longer, less efficient routes—and then complain about emissions

Industry Response

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) have pushed back hard on unfair tolls, congestion pricing, and electric vehicle exemptions. They argue that:

“Truckers aren’t asking for a free ride—they just want a fair system that reflects how much they already pay.”

Trucking groups have also been the first to propose fuel tax increases when infrastructure funding was at risk—meanwhile politicians sat on their hands.

Bottom Line

Truckers pay well more than their fair share. The fees, taxes, and compliance costs they absorb are brutal—and far exceed the damage or wear attributed to them. The real question isn’t whether truckers pay enough. It’s why passenger vehicles, electric cars, and city infrastructure freeloaders aren’t pulling their own weight.

Call to Action
👉 Want to stay informed and tell your own story? Visit LifeAsATrucker.com
👉 Want to learn how to make money off the road while these costs keep rising? Get your freedom plan at RetireFromTrucking.com