407 ETR FEES

MarkD

Site Supporter
15
I don't know if I made a mistake when ordering a transponder or if they made in error on how they classified me but the first bill came in much higher then I expected and it turned out they had me down as a "heavy multi vehicle unit" so they put me down to "heavy single unit vehicle" which is still expensive but reasonable vs a nasty rush hour. I create this post because I can't be the only one this has happened too. Pls check your bill. The designation is on your trip details under the transponder number.
 
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Trans

Active Member
10
Very good observation MarkD I just realized I have two different destinations

Heavy multiple unit vehicles

Heavy single unit vehicle

Now I have been paying these bills for almost 3 years with the wrong designation so what should I do here.......
Thanks to you for pointing this out to us
 

Trans

Active Member
10
They fixed mine and issued a refund on the next bill but I was only one bill deep. Give them a call tomorrow. They seem pretty helpful.

Yeah, they are always helpful but I feel like an idiot right now lol and btw I never ordered these transponders my partner did........... Will give them a call tomorrow
 

Jim L

Well-Known Member
20
We cannot use the 407 due to the costs. It is EXPENSIVE, the costs go up every year, and I have no idea how any carrier can justify the costs yet I see tractor-trailer units on it quite frequently. A truck and trailer is supposed to be defined as Heavy Multiple as you can see here: https://www.407etr.com/en/help/general/faq-businessinquiries/faq80.html .

Having said that a trip from the 401 in Milton to the 400 at rush hour would cost $50-58 one way. 401 to 410 is 22-25 per trip without the additional account and transponder fees involved. You can get the rates here: https://www.407etr.com/en/tolls/tolls/toll-calculator.html

I believe there are a bunch of guys who are travelling with car transponders and getting away with it. Once again, the good guys who do the right thing and legal thing cannot compete with guys breaking the law. We #NeedMoreEnforcement.
 

JN1981

Active Member
10
We cannot use the 407 due to the costs. It is EXPENSIVE, the costs go up every year, and I have no idea how any carrier can justify the costs yet I see tractor-trailer units on it quite frequently.
I agree, unfortunately the cost of it doesn't come close to worth it for the possible time saved.
 

MarkD

Site Supporter
15
Yeah, they are always helpful but I feel like an idiot right now lol and btw I never ordered these transponders my partner did........... Will give them a call tomorrow
Jim L points out the ETR was correct the 1st time. I guess they only changed me to shut me up. If you're not running any straight trucks then it looks like you're getting a bargain.
 

Trans

Active Member
10
We cannot use the 407 due to the costs. It is EXPENSIVE, the costs go up every year, and I have no idea how any carrier can justify the costs yet I see tractor-trailer units on it quite frequently. A truck and trailer is supposed to be defined as Heavy Multiple as you can see here: https://www.407etr.com/en/help/general/faq-businessinquiries/faq80.html .

Having said that a trip from the 401 in Milton to the 400 at rush hour would cost $50-58 one way. 401 to 410 is 22-25 per trip without the additional account and transponder fees involved. You can get the rates here: https://www.407etr.com/en/tolls/tolls/toll-calculator.html

I believe there are a bunch of guys who are travelling with car transponders and getting away with it. Once again, the good guys who do the right thing and legal thing cannot compete with guys breaking the law. We #NeedMoreEnforcement.

407 saves us a lot of time, especially in LTL. where time is money.
OPP cars have a scanner installed and they scan commercial vehicles if they have transponders or not
Once I had the inspection done at 407 Scale just because the transponder didn't scan at the scale house........

I would never suggest using car transponder for the commercial vehicle they will hit hard if get caught
 

Igor Galanter

Well-Known Member
20
I don't know if they got any better, but back in a days of Y2K they had a bad habit charge me separate for a truck and a trailer with a non transponder fine on top of it. It was a nightmare to proof. After a few thousand $$ on account I made them an offer they couldn't refused and we went separate ways with no money owed..
Please check every trip and times for your own good.
 

dad2andrew

Well-Known Member
20
407 was always a pain in the neck to deal with with any billing issues. They never did any work, just have to do all the work and prove it to them. They used to have more security checks in place than calling a bank!

If you can swing it, let the customer make the decision on if they want you to use the 407 and bill them back.

Back when I was running for Chrysler Brampton, there would be days where we would run it all day with multiple trucks from either Airport Rd or 410, all the way to the 401 and then back again.
 

Jim L

Well-Known Member
20
I personally write the MPP, the Minister of Transport and the mayor of Toronto every June to suggest that the province should pay or co-pay any amount of travel from commercial vehicles with approved transponders that travel from a 400 series highways to a 400 series highways. If this option were available the cost would not be so prohibitive, more trucks would be able to use it and would alleviate a lot of east-west traffic on the 401, hwy 7 and other routes. Almost 75% of my GTA deliveries are within 2km of highway 7 and bouncing down 410 to take 401 over to the 404 is annoying. They planned a lot of industrial along that highway 7 corridor and the 407 was an amazing idea to link those but the toll cost has done the exact opposite of what it intended to do - reduce traffic on other heavily travelled lanes especially during rush hour.


I invite all other carriers to do the same.
 

Igor Galanter

Well-Known Member
20
Agree, Jim L ...
Back in a days when I used 407 frequently, my account was in hundreds per month, being mostly in 410- 404 corridor.
The tolls are implemented to compensate for a road surface repairs on 407 and the same time we pay a huge fee for a commercial plate according to weights required.
So, my question is :
- Why am I not compensated by some kind of rebate from MTO for NOT using Ontario roads while on 407, similar to IFTA?
That's why large fleets ruining roads in Ontario and paying for plates to other provinces or even states...
Fair game, eh...
 

lowmiler88

Site Supporter
30
Hey Igor I think the administration of keeping track of those miles on your side probably would not be worth it.
 

Igor Galanter

Well-Known Member
20
Hey, lowmiler88, I thought about it..
But it works for IFTA, isn't?
With all the technologies and gizmos available now, eh...
 

loaders

Site Supporter
30
What the 407 should do, is make it cheaper for cars to use. That way more cars taking the 407 would mean more room for trucks on Hwy 401. Kind of the opposite of what the original intended use of the "Great GTA By-Pass Route". I use it regularly to go to my home in Prince Edward County and most times it feels like I am the only vehicle out there, especially the further East you go. Expensive, yes, but a whole lot easier than fighting your way across the top of Toronto at pretty much anytime of the day or night, and then through Oshawa.
 

Igor Galanter

Well-Known Member
20
That's right, loaders!
Especially that trucks were not welcomed on 407 from day ONE..
We were hussled by OPP detachment a few times a day by different officers..
Well, the policy of 407 stated that rates will go down IF ridership will go down, but that ain't happening...
I still keep a transponder for my personal vehicles in case of an emergency, and yes it helped me a few times ( ones for my doggie emergency surgery flew from Richmond Hill to Oakville)..
 

Jim L

Well-Known Member
20
IFTA rebate and making it more cost effective for smaller cars to promote them to that lane are great ideas but I still think that the majority of industry resides within 2 km north or south of the 407. That is the lane that trucks should be using at a depreciated cost - either by dramatically lowering the rate making it free or having the province pay for trucks travelling between 400 series highways. I'm sure if I could get the province to do a cost benefit analysis they would see the value in it.
Just imagine the sheer number of trucks in west GTA operating to/from Quebec - the 407 would be the most effective way to get across the city. It would alleviate 410 and 401 congestion and allow those vehicles in south GTA to funnel quicker to those highways.

Money fixes a lot of problems ;)
 
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