Toads and tolls

[Big Daddio]

First time pulling a toad with our Greyhawk and wondering about tolls. Going from Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada to Daytona, Fl. Have EZ pass transponders. Just not sure if I need to put one in the road and one in rv, or both in rv or just one in the rv?
Appreciate any info

[Stingray75]

I believe the toad is considered a trailer and the toll charges would reflect so.

[morleyz]

You'll only need a transponder in the RV. EZ pass figures out how many axles you have and charges you appropriately.

[Robbbyr]

Echoing what the others have said, the toad is a trailer and the system will count your axles and charge you accordingly.

I found out early on you don't want to have a pass in both the RV and the toad, it confuses the system. If you travel with passes for each vehicle, take down the one in the toad while being towed and wrap it in a couple layers of aluminum foil and put it in the console or glovebox. That will keep the system from trying to read both!

[us71na]

You can register the license of the toad with ezee pass. I frequently use our ezee pass in two different vehicles and tow two different trailers and even a U-haul once. We also used it in a rental car with no problem.

[Florida Ranger]

Express road in ATLANTA only uses Peach Pass or Sun Pass ,,also only lets you go into Atlanta until 12 noon then it changes and only lets you leave Atlanta until late night..

[RedHorse1]

Here in Houston we have a toll pass (Ez Tag) that is accepted by multiple local toll authorities. I received a letter from one informing me that my license plate did not match the one registered to my tag and included a picture to prove it. Yup, a picture of the back end of the 5th.
AAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!
So, a few phone calls later I was told that I had to have a tag for the trailer too, didn’t have to mount it, just have it. Got the tag which is still in its envelope and all seems good.

As I type this I note I’m grinding my teeth in frustration. Maybe a beverage will help me relax. ��

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Florida Ranger

Express road in ATLANTA only uses Peach Pass or Sun Pass ,,also only lets you go into Atlanta until 12 noon then it changes and only lets you leave Atlanta until late night..

You can't have more than 2 axles.. No towing of any kind in the express lanes. If I remember correctly it's a $250 fine.

[Camper_bob]

For TXTAG, if BOTH the MH and the TOAD are equipped with a tag, the MH will be charged like it's towing a trailer (4 axles) AND the toad will be charged as if it is driving separately. So the total charge is 6 axles for a MH towing a TOAD when there's a TXTAG in both vehicles.

I just recently went through this with the toll authority. It was like trying to explain complex astrophysics to a monkey. Shouldn't have been that hard. I'm fine with paying for 4 axles, but I'm not going to pay for 6!

So to solve the problem, I removed my tag from the TOAD and laminated it. I wrap it in foil and put it in the door pocket when I'm towing on a toll road. This works MOST of the time, but sometimes the MH windshield tag doesn't read. In that case, the camera picks up the plate on the MH from the front, charges me for 4 axles (cool so far) then the other camera picks up my JEEP plate from the rear and charges the Jeep (Toad) again.

FWIW, the toll authority had no advice for this situation.

[Florida Ranger]

We tow without tag on toad, but keep tag inside the toad in case we are pulled over, then we explain to police about toll booth charging us ..

[cherv]

just gave me another reason not to have a toad behind our 25' class c. enterprise always. no $20,000 +TOAD COST AND TOWING CONNECTIONS HARDWARE, NO MAINTENANCE OR INSURANCE, LESS MPG, NO EXTRA TOLLS. LOVE ENTERPRISE RENTAL OR TAKE COACH ON SIGHTING TRIPS...SO FAR NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH GETTING A RENTAL CAR, COST US ABOUT $2000 YRLY...

[Florida Ranger]

That is why my toad is for sale...

[Big Daddio]

Thanks all. Will take down and wrap, bag and stow in glove box the toad's transponder. Just keep the one in rv window

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by cherv

just gave me another reason not to have a toad behind our 25' class c. enterprise always. no $20,000 +TOAD COST AND TOWING CONNECTIONS HARDWARE, NO MAINTENANCE OR INSURANCE, LESS MPG, NO EXTRA TOLLS. LOVE ENTERPRISE RENTAL OR TAKE COACH ON SIGHTING TRIPS...SO FAR NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH GETTING A RENTAL CAR, COST US ABOUT $2000 YRLY...

My toad is my daily driver (and it's paid for), so additional cost was only the hardware (which I installed myself).

Have absolute freedom (including some pretty significant off-road capabilities) everywhere we go on our own schedule. Plus an emergency vehicle if something goes sideways on the road.

Different strokes for different folks!

[cherv]

you are good to go since you already have a toad. not interested in towing anything, did that with a tt. how often have you had a roadside emergency? I have never been stuck on the road and in our travels have never come across a rv in distress. roadside assist, 911, police all kinds of help if needed.

[Murff]

Crossing the country in 2017, we stopped at toll booths to pay the ransom. More than once, the toll taker rang up the TV before seeing the trailer in tow. Apparently, once the toll has been entered, it's too late to correct. Got some cheap tolls a few times!

Murff

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by cherv

you are good to go since you already have a toad. not interested in towing anything, did that with a tt. how often have you had a roadside emergency? I have never been stuck on the road and in our travels have never come across a rv in distress. roadside assist, 911, police all kinds of help if needed.

Thankfully, I've never had something happen that could be considered an "emergency" (knocking on wood). That benefit is more of an ancillary one to having a second vehicle along.

We did pick up a bolt in our Jeep's tire one trip last year. We took it to the local WalMart (of course it was a Sunday and none of the locals were open) to have it plugged. It was nice to have the camper to hang out in while we waited instead of being stuck in the store the whole time. In fact, I was able to leave my wife there to wait on the vehicle and take my son home; it took them FOREVER for that simple repair. I'll never do THAT again. I should have just bolted on the spare (full-size) and went home; my local guy would've had it done in less than 10 minutes.

Anyway, I digress, live and learn I guess...

Back on topic:

Has anyone ever contacted their toll authority and asked what to do about a towed vehicle that is also equipped with a transponder? It can't be an altogether uncommon situation. I was VERY surprised that the person I spoke to on the phone had such a hard time with it.

The difficulty with a TXTAG is that it's a sticker. It specifically says that if it needs to be removed for any reason to get it replaced because removal can damage the transponder chip. I think mine still works just fine, but I was SUPER careful removing it. AND it's a pain to have to remember to put it back up when I'm on a toll road (which really isn't that often).

[billjmck]

Can you just have one transponder and move back and forth?

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by billjmck

Can you just have one transponder and move back and forth?

Won't really work for TXTAG, at least I don't think so. The transponder ID is linked to the license plate. One plate per tag only. If you move the transponder to another vehicle, you'll get charged for the transponder, and again by license plate (photo) when the transponder is in a vehicle other than the one it's linked to.

Plus they're supposed to be adhered to the windshield which makes them a little difficult to move.

All that being said, my dad used to carry his EZ-TAG (Houston) with him because he never knew what fleet vehicle he might be in from one day/week/month to the next. I don't think he can do that any more (aside from the fact that he's retired and doesn't need to).

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by billjmck

Can you just have one transponder and move back and forth?

Even though I live in Ohio I've had my I-Pass (from Illinois) for years, all vehicles are listed on our account and we have two transponders. Doesn't matter which transponder is in which vehicle. We do indeed move it from the motorhome to the toad upon campground arrival when we are in a state we are likely to encounter toll roads while touring around in the car. That is perfectly acceptable with the I-Pass.

Had the I-Pass before Ohio adopted EZ-Pass and since we visit Illinois frequently we just kept it.