August 2025: Trucker Edition
PA Turnpike Truck Tolling Aligns with National Norms for Predictable System
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has moved away from a weight-based classification system and has now adopted the nationwide practice of assessing vehicle class through axle count and height.
Trucker Appreciation Week Set for September
The Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association gave truckers a bit of a break from the road with some refreshments and small giveaways in April during a Trucker Appreciation Event.
Truck Parking Availability Expands at PA Turnpike
Finding a safe, convenient place to rest while traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike is a lot easier today with about 150 new tractor-trailer parking spots. Truck-parking availability is an issue nationwide, but as more and more commercial drivers take to America's First Superhighway, the PA Turnpike has expanded its parking options.
A Letter from PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton
Welcome to Trucker Edition of The Road Ahead!
At the Pennsylvania Turnpike, our community of commercial drivers has been very important to us since day one.
We are America's First Superhighway, and when we opened to traffic 85 years ago, we changed transportation in the United States forever. For the first time, drivers could jump onto a limited-access, four-lane highway and traverse the state in a matter of hours. You were with us then when we spanned just 160 miles from Carlisle and Irwin, and you’re with us today as we connect the entire state across 565 miles from east and west and north and south.
We've grown and, let's face it, so has the world of trucking. Substantially. The last 25 years saw the rise of online shopping, intensified by the onset of the pandemic five years ago. Commercial traffic has changed, and we are changing to accommodate it. While tractor-trailers make up about 15% of our total traffic – a number that continually ticks upwards -- it accounts for nearly 60% of our revenue, making you one of our most important customers.
That's why we are launching this special newsletter – to keep you better informed of everything we do at the PA Turnpike.
As you'll see in this and future editions, we've increased our truck-parking availability at our service plazas. With the launch of Open Road Tolling, we are giving you and all of our drivers a seamless, nonstop travel experience. And several times per year, we hold a Trucker Appreciation Day at our service plazas so you can stop by, recharge, and take a break from your long haul.
Whether you're parked safely at one of our new parking spots or you're at home for a break from the road, please enjoy this inaugural edition of The Road Ahead – Trucker Edition. And if you have any topics you’d like us to cover in this newsletter, let us know at TheRoadAhead@paturnpike.com.
- Mark Compton, PA Turnpike CEO
PA Turnpike Truck Tolling Aligns with national Norms for Predictable System
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has moved away from a weight-based classification system and has now adopted the nationwide practice of assessing vehicle class through axle count and height.
Automated Vehicle Classification (AVC) took effect across the PA Turnpike Jan. 5, bringing America’s First Superhighway in line with national norms for a more predictable tolling system for all motorists.
Prior to this change, the PA Turnpike was the only tolling agency in the U.S. using a weight-based classification system. The PA Turnpike is now using the standard 11 classifications, ranging from two-axle passenger vehicles to commercial vehicles of seven-plus axles and a height more than 7-feet, 6-inches.
Truck drivers’ toll rates may change because their classifications have changed, but the primary impact is upon those traveling with empty trailers since they are no longer tolled based upon their lighter weight.
One of the driving forces behind the change from a weight-based system to axle-count and height was the cost of maintaining, operating, and replacing the scales in the roadway associated with the old system. Additionally, when work needed to be done on one of those scales, crews would have to close a lane, creating significant traffic disruptions since the scales were in the pavement.
You can see the classification changes in this chart:
The switch to AVC does not generate additional money for the PA Turnpike – it is a revenue-neutral change that results in consistency and predictability for customers.
Truck drivers can always calculate their tolls using the PA Turnpike’s toll calculator.
Truck Driver Appreciation Week Set for September
The Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association gave truckers a bit of a break from the road with some refreshments and small giveaways in April during a Trucker Appreciation Event.
It was held at several service plazas, and the PA Turnpike is doing it again Sept. 14 to 20 for Trucker Appreciation Week.
Here are a few photos of the April event.
A truck driver stops by for a break at a PA Turnpike booth during a Trucker Appreciation Event in April in Somerset.
Truckers and members of the PA Turnpike and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association took part in a Trucker Appreciation Event in April at the Highspire Servcie Plaza.
Be sure to keep an eye on The Road Ahead – Trucker Edition for more details about the event in September.
Truck Parking Availability Expands at PA Turnpike
The Lawn Service Plaza is located in the westbound direction between the Harrisburg East and Lebanon-Lancaster interchanges. Lessard and his team also added about a dozen more spots to Lawn’s eastbound counterpart service plaza at Highspire.
Truck parking has expanded recently at three PA Turnpike service plazas, including Lawn, pictured here.