Nobody likes having to pay tolls, and news of toll hikes rarely sits well with drivers. But the fact remains that tolls play a critical role in our roadway system. They provide significant funds to maintain and improve roads, bridges and tunnels.
Losing just a fraction of toll revenue can be financially damaging to agencies charged with overseeing said roads. Unfortunately, that is precisely what’s happening due to the growing trend of toll evasion. The last several years have seen an increase in the number of drivers attempting to evade paying their fair share of tolls.
Here’s how they do it and how authorities are cracking down.
Simply put, toll evasion occurs when a motorist illegally bypasses a toll without paying the proper fee.
It was a more difficult task back in the day, when each toll booth had a barrier gate that lifted only after the driver paid their fare or had their transponder read. But in recent years, many states have begun transitioning to cashless tolling. Instead of toll booths, these systems use an overhead framework of cameras and transponder readers.
If you have a transponder, the toll process is the same as before. If you drive through a cashless tolling system without a transponder, however, the cameras will take a picture of your license plate. That plate number is then matched to your registration. A few weeks later, a bill will be in your mailbox. The cashless tolling process helps traffic move more freely and improves driver safety. But it also provides toll evaders with an opportunity.
More and more motorists looking to get a free ride are obstructing their license plates as they pass through cashless tolling spots. This can prevent the cameras from picking up the number and, in turn, motorists getting billed.
Toll evaders use a number of creative ways to hide their license plates. Many try to muddy their plates with dirt, paint or grease. Others use plastic covers on their license plates that can distort the numbers when viewed at an angle. These covers are easy to find and even easier to install.
The increase in cashless tolling has brought with it an increase in toll evasion. In Massachusetts, more than 14,500 obstructed license plates were recorded by the state’s Department of Transportation over a roughly three-year period, from late 2016 to early 2020, according to Boston 25 News. Tinted license plates are legal in Massachusetts.
With tens of millions of dollars on the line, authorities are homing in on toll evaders. In May 2022, the New York State Police, New York City Police, New York City Sheriff, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a joint effort to crack down on toll evasion.
The efforts have been paying off. In 2024, the Port Authority issued more than 7,000 summonses for toll evasion and collected almost $18 million in unpaid tolls and related fees.
Now the MTA has another toll to monitor: congestion pricing. Three days after it went into effect on Jan. 5, 2025, the New York City Police Department logged 82 violations, arrested two people and took possession of 17 cars for attempting to evade the new law.
The New York City congestion pricing law requires drivers traveling into Manhattan south of 60th Street to pay a $9 toll on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Drivers pay through their E-ZPass transponders, if they have them. Otherwise, cameras capture the drivers’ license plates and bills are mailed to their homes.
The move is designed to reduce traffic in some of the city’s busiest areas and generate money to improve mass transit systems. Congestion pricing is expected to generate between $500 million and $800 million a year, according to the MTA.
Through increased enforcement and sharing of information, authorities can track down violators after the fact. If you evade a toll, it does not mean you have gotten away. By piecing together other images and videos, authorities can often identify your vehicle and, if so, will flag your car.
Every state has a law on the books requiring license plates to be both affixed to the vehicle and legible. Twenty-nine states require cars to have both a front and rear license plate. In Massachusetts, the law reads: “Plates shall be kept clean with the numbers legible and shall not be obscured in any manner by the installation of any device obscuring said numbers.” New York’s law goes one step further, specifying that license plates “shall not be knowingly covered or coated with any artificial or synthetic material or substance that … distorts a recorded or photographic image of such number plates.”
If you get caught breaking these laws, it will cost you. Citations for knowingly obstructing your license plate come with fines upward of $300. Repeat offenders can even lose their driver’s licenses and/or have their cars impounded.
What do you think about what can be done to prevent toll evasion? Tell us in the comments.
This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.
Last updated on November 10, 2025 by AAA Staff
