Maryland Freezes Tolls Through 2027 but Wants Its $818 Million Back
On October 14, 2026, Gov. Wes Moore told the Maryland Transportation Authority to hold tolls flat in 2027. A month earlier, state auditors found $818.1 million in unpaid tolls and penalties from out of state plates. Here is what both stories mean for a small fleet running I-95, the tunnels, and the Bay Bridge.
No Maryland toll increase in 2027
Maryland truckers got one piece of good cost news this week. On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Gov. Wes Moore said he had instructed the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) to pause toll increases for the coming year, and the MDTA said it is delaying any toll increases in 2027. Moore put the savings at $50 million or more. CBS Baltimore and The Baltimore Sun both reported the increase is now expected in 2028 instead.
The backstory matters if you budget by the mile. According to Land Line, the MDTA had pulled a scheduled 2028 increase forward into 2027 to recover revenue lost after the Key Bridge collapse, which the agency estimated at $143.9 million through the bridge's originally assumed reopening. Officials now expect the new bridge to open by 2030. Maryland has not run a major statewide increase since 2013, so the pause buys one more flat year, not a permanent freeze. If you quote lanes that cross the Fort McHenry Tunnel, the Harbor Tunnel, the I-95 JFK Highway, or the Bay Bridge, treat 2028 as the year to reprice. Your toll line, your fuel line, and your commercial truck insurance in Maryland all belong in the same per mile number.
The $818 million audit nobody in trucking should ignore
The toll pause landed a month after a less friendly headline. Maryland Matters reported on September 1, 2026 that a state legislative audit found the MDTA had not collected about $818.1 million in tolls and penalties owed by out of state vehicles. Sinclair's 7News broke that figure down as roughly $230.9 million in unpaid tolls and $587.2 million in penalties as of January, with more than $386 million of it outstanding for over three years. Virginia plates owed the most, about $234.7 million, followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Look closely at that split. The penalties are more than twice the size of the tolls themselves. Video toll debt does not sit still. Maryland sends a Notice of Toll Due to the registered owner, who gets 30 days to pay without a penalty. Miss that window and each unpaid transaction can draw a civil citation and penalty on top of the original toll. A truck with a dead transponder can stack a lot of transactions before anyone opens the mail.
Collection is about to get more serious
The audit faulted the MDTA for sending notices and assessing penalties without pushing to collect. As of February 2026, auditors said, the agency had not signed reciprocity agreements with other states, the tool that could let a home state suspend the registration of a driver with unpaid Maryland tolls. It had also not hired outside collection agencies. The MDTA says it is now bringing collection agencies in.
For a Virginia, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey carrier that has been ignoring old Maryland video toll notices, that is the part to watch. Maryland has a long history of using registration flags against its own plates, and in 2015 the MDTA publicly warned that unpaid balances would be referred to the Motor Vehicle Administration for registration action. Out of state debt was sent to the state's Central Collection Unit instead. Reciprocity would close that gap. If you run in Virginia and up the I-95 corridor, now is the time to clean up any old balance, not after a collection letter or a registration hold shows up.
Why a toll bill becomes an insurance problem
A toll notice is not an insurance claim, but it can turn into one indirectly in three ways.
First, a registration problem parks the truck. A tractor sitting in the yard while you sort out a hold earns nothing, and that lost income is not something physical damage coverage pays for. Downtime is your problem, not your insurer's.
Second, paperwork follows you to the scale house. A registration issue found during a roadside inspection lands in the same inspection history underwriters pull when they price your renewal.
Third, a truck with a registration problem is a weak starting point after a crash. Your primary liability coverage is built to defend you, and every loose end in your paperwork is something the other side's attorney gets to talk about instead of the facts of the accident.
A short Maryland toll checklist for small fleets
Make sure every power unit has a working transponder tied to the right plate and axle class, and check it again whenever you swap a unit or add a leased truck. If you are leased on to a carrier, ask who holds the toll account and who receives the notices for the plate on your tractor. Assign one person to open and pay toll mail inside the 30 day window. Pull your account history now and settle anything old while it is still a toll and not a collection file. And build the expected 2028 increase into lane pricing now.
Get a truck insurance quote built for Maryland lanes
Get a truck insurance quote in under a minute and we will shop coverage that fits the way you actually run, from Baltimore port work to I-95 through freight. See our page on Maryland truck insurance for state requirements, or start your quote here. Prefer to talk it through? Call or text 423-264-4255.
Common questions
Are Maryland tolls going up in 2027?
No. On October 14, 2026, Gov. Wes Moore directed the Maryland Transportation Authority to pause toll increases for 2027, and the increase is now expected in 2028. Plan your Maryland lane pricing around a change in 2028.
What happens if my truck gets a Maryland video toll and I do not pay it?
Maryland sends a Notice of Toll Due to the registered owner with 30 days to pay without a penalty. After that, each unpaid transaction can draw a civil citation and penalty, which is why penalties now make up most of the $818.1 million the state says it is owed.
Can unpaid Maryland tolls affect an out of state truck registration?
State auditors pointed to reciprocity agreements with other states as a way to let a home state suspend the registration of a driver with unpaid Maryland tolls. As of February 2026 those agreements were not in place, but the MDTA says it is stepping up collection, so settling old balances now is the safer move.
Does truck insurance pay for downtime from a registration hold?
No. Physical damage covers damage to the truck, not lost income while it sits. Keeping registration and toll accounts clean is the cheapest protection. To get a truck insurance quote for your Maryland operation, call or text 423-264-4255.
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