NEW YORK SUPREME COURT PRESERVES STATUS QUO AS NY THRUWAY’S BACKDOOR “TOLL HIKE” FACES REVIEW
JUDGE GRANTS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER TO ENSURE SERVICE CONTINUITY
Court action follows Fleetworthy’s effort to shield customers from immediate economic harm and ensure fairness in tolling and a lawful, transparent process
Albany, NY — January 16, 2026— The Supreme Court of the State of New York yesterday granted a temporary restraining order halting the New York State Thruway Authority’s newly announced 1 percent surcharge on tolls processed through Bestpass by Fleetworthy. The Honorable Amy E. Joyce ruled that Bestpass by Fleetworthy’s participation in the existing Standard Commercial Charge Account program must remain in place while the court reviews the legal and procedural issues raised. The surcharge had been scheduled to take effect on January 15.
The court’s decision temporarily pauses implementation of the surcharge to tolls processed through Bestpass while legal and procedural concerns are reviewed. Bestpass by Fleetworthy sought the TRO after the surcharge was announced without public notice, stakeholder engagement, or the standard public process used for toll changes.
“Our first priority is protecting our customers, and today’s ruling helps preserve continuity for small businesses and consumers while these issues are reviewed. This ensures a major new cost increase won’t take effect before questions about the process and fairness of this surcharge are fully considered by the courts,” said Tom Fogarty, Fleetworthy CEO. “This is about transparency, fairness, and preventing immediate harm to the trucking fleets and small businesses we serve.”
Temporary restraining orders are not usually issued unless a party demonstrates a likelihood of success on the merits of its claim and that irreparable harm would occur in the absence of Court intervention. The temporary restraining order does not represent a final decision on the surcharge itself. It preserves the status quo while the court considers the issues raised, including the lack of a transparent process and the economic impact of implementing the fee.
As proposed by the Thruway Authority, the surcharge would apply only to commercial toll-management providers and the trucking fleets that rely on them, while exempting other E-ZPass users. Industry leaders have warned that the added cost would ripple through the supply chain, raising prices on food, household goods, and other everyday essentials. Today’s court action follows mounting opposition from hundreds of businesses and commercial carriers across New York and the Northeast, who have called the surcharge a backdoor toll increase that conflicts with broader efforts to improve affordability and the state’s business climate.
“We respect the court process and will not speculate on next steps,” Fogarty added. “Our goal remains the same: a pause, meaningful dialogue and a transparent review before any new costs are imposed on the businesses that keep New York’s economy moving. We are proud of our history of providing savings to our fleets, large and small, as well as to the Thruway Authority over the past two decades. We can see no logical reason why our business and the fleets that rely on us should bear new toll-based fees that are not charged to other customers.”
About Fleetworthy:
Fleetworthy is redefining fleet readiness with the industry’s only complete technology suite for fleet safety, compliance, and efficiency. We unite solutions for compliance, toll management, weigh station bypass, and more, helping fleets simplify operations, reduce costs, and improve safety.
Trusted by 75% of the top fleets in North America, Fleetworthy offers the most adopted toll management solution and largest weigh station bypass network. Going beyond regulatory requirements, our compliance capabilities strengthen safety programs and enable proactive audit readiness. We support millions of vehicles and drivers and are recognized across the industry for innovation and leadership.
Fleetworthy is shaping the future of fleet readiness with AI-enabled, connected fleet technology that keeps drivers safe, fleets compliant, and operations running at peak efficiency. Learn more at fleetworthy.com.
