News · Rules & filings
Laredo Bridge Toll Fines Jump Under New 3-Strikes Rule
Laredo bridge toll fines for trucks run $500, $1,000 and $2,000 under the 3-strikes rule. Here is what truckers should do to avoid them.
Questions about how this affects your trucks? Talk to a licensed agent who ran his own authority.
What happened
Laredo bridge toll fines are adding up for truck carriers. The City of Laredo has a "three-strikes" rule for trucks that reach a bridge with too little money in their TradeTag account. TradeTag is the toll account that trucks use to cross.
The stricter rule started Aug. 18 at the World Trade Bridge and the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge. Before, a truck with a low balance had to make a U-turn. Now the truck can keep going into Mexico, but the carrier gets a fine.
Here is how the fines work:
- First time: $500 plus the toll.
- Second time: $1,000 plus the toll.
- Third time: $2,000 plus the toll, and the account is suspended.
- Getting a suspended account back costs $200.
Early numbers came out on Sept. 18, according to KGNS in Laredo. Truck U-turns dropped to 38 during the last two weeks of August. Money from low-balance fines went from $13,800 in July to $29,800 in August. Kent Richard, the assistant bridge director, said that income has picked up under the new approach.
What it means for owner-operators
A low balance used to cost you a few minutes. Now it can cost you $500 or more. The fine is charged to the carrier's account. If that account is yours, it comes out of your pocket.
In August, the city said about 120 to 150 low-balance cases happened every month. Felipe G. Romero, Port Laredo's marketing director, said each U-turn slowed traffic for 5 to 7 minutes. The city wants fewer stops so the bridges run smoother. The system has 4,574 active commercial accounts and handles more than 17,000 truck crossings a day.
One detail matters a lot. Having a credit card on file does not stop the fines by itself. You must turn on auto-replenish in your online account, so the balance refills before it runs out.
What to do next
Do these four things before your next crossing:
- Log in to your Laredo TradeTag account and check your balance.
- Turn on auto-replenish and keep a valid credit card on file.
- Tell your drivers and dispatcher to check the balance before they reach the bridge.
- Save your account statements for your records.
If you are just starting to run the border, our filing guide shows the steps to keep your authority and permits current.