TOLL charges are expected to skyrocket beginning January 1, 2025, with drivers having only a few days to get a sticker that will help keep expenses down.
Customers will need an NC Quick Pass to use North Carolina’s toll roadways beginning New Year’s Day.
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is raising toll rates beginning January 1, but not all vehicles will pay the same.
If you obtain an NC Quick Pass, you can save money and earn a 50% discount on toll highways in the Tar Heel State.
This is a 35% increase from the current savings rate.
The Turnpike Authority said that drivers do not need a transponder to utilize the discount.
It is introducing a new NC Only Account type for travel within the state.
Customers who get an invoice between November 11, 2024 and February 28, 2025 will receive approximately 300,000 free transponders.
To assist drivers, the pre-paid balance minimum for new accounts has been reduced from $20 to $10.
The authority also announced new partnerships with 7-Eleven petrol outlets near toll facilities, where customers can purchase transponders.
Alternatively, transponders are available on Amazon.
The authority explains why it wants drivers to create an NC Quick Pass account.
According to the authority, the expense of collecting tolls from consumers who do not have an account is around three times that of those who do.
The additional fee hike is intended to shift more of the expense to customers who have decided not to have accounts.
This should result in significant savings for accountholders.
The new effort has the potential to help more than simply North Carolina drivers.
Those who sign up for a regular Quick Pass account and transponders can also receive discounts on toll roads in 18 other states.
These include Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.
It comes weeks after the NC Quick Pass was identified as the subject of a “smishing” fraud alert.
The FBI defines smishing as the use of bogus text messages to deceive consumers into installing malware, providing sensitive information, or donating money to cybercriminals.
In the recent Quick Pass scam, drivers received SMS from a number claiming to represent the toll company, informing them that they owed unpaid fees.
The organization has cautioned people that it will never request payment via text message.
It advised drivers to report any hoax texts about overdue tolls to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Fighting incorrect toll violations
A legal expert claims that a toll violation notice can be challenged in a few simple steps.
Double-check the name and license plate number. A technician finalizes violations before they are mailed, and a simple error may occur. If the problem is as easy as someone misreading the plate due to a poor photo, contact the toll agency.
If the license plate is correct but the automobile is no longer registered to you, you can challenge it by contacting your state’s transportation office (i.e. DMV) and providing proof that the vehicle is no longer yours.
If the violation claims to have been issued due to a missing account but you actually have an active account, you can typically contest it on the toll agency’s website. If not, you can call.
Dispute the notice right away. Many toll agencies will impose a time restriction for drivers to contest a notice, so act immediately to avoid late fines.
When posting a disagreement online, make it clear. The more details provided, the easier it is to rectify the issue.