Police seized six trucks of a small company in Maine Friday, Dec. 6, for more than $75.000 of unpaid tolls.
The Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Unit impounded six tractor-trailers owned and operated by Commodity Haulers Express of North Kingston, Rhode Island. The company faces felony theft of services charges for unpaid tolls accumulated over the past three years, according to a statement from the police.
The tolls are due to the Maine Turnpike Authority.
A statement from the police said:
Last month, State Police Corporal Chris Rogers was asked to investigate a toll evasion case by the Maine Turnpike Authority. The Turnpike Authority reported that Commodity Haulers Express, which employs a fleet of approximately 20 trucks, had amassed an unpaid toll fare bill of approximately $75,000 over a three-year period utilizing 12 different tractor-trailers. The company had been notified of the unpaid bill multiple times by the Turnpike Authority. and their right to operate their vehicles in Maine had been suspended by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Cpl. Rogers conducted surveillance and created a timeline of when the offending trucks were entering and leaving Maine. This morning, Troopers located five of the offending trucks. One was stopped southbound in York along the Maine Turnpike and the four others were stopped along Route 122 in Poland. The trucking company hauls Poland Spring Water. The water company was not aware or involved in the unpaid tolls.
The tolls owed from the five trucks seized today was about $42,000.
The trucks were towed to Copp Motors in Cumberland where they will remain until the toll bills have been paid.
