The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is suing the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for what the group calls excessive toll increases that place an "undue burden" on interstate commerce.

The lawsuit filed by OOIDA and the National Motorists Association—an advocacy group—seeks an injunction to halt the turnpike from overcharging customers to pay for non-turnpike projects, stop the turnpike from borrowing money to help make payments to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), prevent PennDOT from the spending the money received from the turnpike, and to refund the money to turnpike users, according to a statement from OOIDA.

"The tolls charged far exceed the value of the use of turnpike and the costs to maintain it," said Todd Spencer, acting CEO of OOIDA. "Truckers have especially overpaid the price at as much as 70 cents per mile."

The toll increase took effect Jan. 7, according to the commission. The most common toll for passenger vehicles increased from $1.23 to $1.30 for E-ZPass customers and from $1.95 to $2.10 for cash customers. The most common toll for Class-5 vehicles—a prevalent tractor-trailer class—increased from $10.17 to 10.78 for E-ZPass and from $14.45 to $15.35 for cash.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. http://bit.ly/2pueP1x

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