Rhode Island’s Caps on Semi-Truck Tolls Violate Constitution

A Rhode Island law limiting the number of tolls semi-truck drivers face runs afoul of the US Constitution because it benefits in-state drivers more than out-of-state teamsters, a federal appeals panel ruled Friday.

Two provisions of the Rhode Island Bridge Replacement, Reconstruction, and Maintenance Fund Act, which place cap on bridge tolls for all tractor trailer drivers, violates the dormant Commerce Clause, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled in an opinion. The panel unanimously affirmed a lower court’s decision to deem the two provisions unconstitutional and severed them from the state law.

“The record shows that ...