While traveling across the United States, you will certainly need to pay some tolls. Certain tunnels, bridges, and highways charge users a toll, either for the entire highway or express lanes only. To make traveling across the US states easier, authorities in various states have implemented all-electronic tolling so that drivers don’t have to stop at toll points. Paying tolls using the toll-by-plate option is now one of the most popular toll payment methods. Let’s dive deeper into what toll by plate is and how it works.

What is toll by plate?

Toll by plate is a payment option for customers who don’t have any of the accepted transponders while traveling on electronic toll collection facilities. In this tolling system, a picture of the vehicle’s license plate is taken as the vehicle travels through a toll point. It’s a form of electronic toll collection that uses video to identify a vehicle liable to pay a toll. After the recording or photo is taken, an invoice with the travel information is mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner.

Toll by plate – how does it work?

Toll by plate system (also called a video tolling system) is a toll collection point that doesn’t permit cash payment and an all-electronic collection is done using electronic means. Pay by plate means that the tag transponder wasn’t read, and the toll is to be charged based on a reading of a vehicle’s license plate. To make toll-by-plate payments easier, drivers can open a toll-by-plate account. It’s a convenient way to manage toll invoices easily. Under each account, four personally operated vehicles that aren’t registered to an E-ZPass account can be registered. To open an account, you only need your email address and vehicle license plate information. When you don’t have a toll-by-plate account, the tolling system looks up the vehicle registration information from a government motor vehicle registration database. Then, a bill is sent to the address in the database. An extra charge for the additional processing may be added.

How to pay toll by plate in various states?

Wondering which states enable toll-by-plate payment systems? Is Florida toll by plate possible? What is the SunPass toll by plate? Let’s explain the Florida example – if you pass a toll booth, in most cases, it is possible to pay a toll by plate. An invoice will be mailed to the vehicle’s owner for the toll incurred over a 30-day period. Keep in mind that the pay-by-plate option cannot be used on Florida Managed Lanes. If you travel in a managed lane without a tag transponder or a SunPass, you will be subject to a $25 daily violation charge.

SunPass toll by plate

Florida’s Prepaid Toll Program allows drivers to pay the lowest toll amount. It has a user-friendly website where you can add money to your account for your plate.

The complete list of US states and their toll payment options

In the table below, you will find comprehensive information about toll payment methods in the US states:

Toll-by-plate scams

Unfortunately, the last few years have shown that the toll-by-plate system is prone to scams. The method of the scam seems pretty straightforward. Scammers just use customized plates to make the victim pay tolls for them. Would it be a surprise for you to suddenly come across a vehicle with an identical registration just like yours? According to the police, thousands of vehicles on US roads may have cloned license plates. These can also be plates doctored in some way for unscrupulous purposes such as driving off without paying for gas. A sad fact is that cloning license plates are relatively easy. There are more and more online companies willing to issue registration plates without first seeing the vehicle registration certificate, which makes toll-by-plate scams simpler.

Another risk is purchasing a used vehicle. Experts recommend that buyers should be as thorough as possible before agreeing to buy a vehicle, especially from a private seller. You should be careful when the offer is too good to be true, e.g., when the price is low compared to the vehicle’s specification, or when the seller only accepts cash payments or appears to be in a hurry to sell. You should always check the car’s history in as many databases as possible. The information you obtain from a reputable source should match the information on the vehicle (such as the VIN number, the registration document, etc.). To improve the safety of your plates you can also get anti-theft screws from your local police station. Such plates shatter if anyone tries to remove them.

What to do if you become a victim of a toll-by-plate scam?

If you discover that your car’s plate has been cloned, you should immediately inform the police and provide them with every documentary evidence you can gather. The police will do anything possible to locate the cloned vehicle and the person responsible for this criminal activity. Once the plates are reported as stolen, the police will be instantly notified every time a static or mobile automatic number plate recognition camera detects them.

What is an alternative to pay by plate?

If you are about to drive on a toll road or cross a tolled bridge and do not want to pay the higher fees associated with the toll by plate, you can pay using a toll road billing app such as Uproad. With Uproad, you simply need to download the app to your smartphone and register your vehicle. Activation is usually completed within 24 hours. Uproad covers the cost of your tolls and offers violation protection, as well as the ability to drive on other toll roads around the country.