United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-06-07 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-181 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181 P0b002ee18037d1bc f:rc94181 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181 RCED-94-181 Highway research Highway planning Ground transportation operations Intergovernmental relations Use taxes Public roads or highways State-administered programs Administrative costs Fuel taxes Intergovernmental fiscal relations Road Information Project FHwA Strategic Highway Research Program Heavy Vehicle Electronic License Plate Program Letter Report RCED The nation's deteriorating roads and highways impose billions of dollars in additional costs to their users each year. In 1991, U.S. motorists and truck drivers spent an estimated $17.4 billion on wasted fuel, added tire wear, and extra vehicle repairs as a result of driving on roads in poor condition. To build and maintain the nation's highway system, the federal government collects user fees, mainly in the form of fuel taxes. Concerns have arisen, however, that fuel taxes, along with other federal user fees, may not be the fairest way to allocate highway costs because such taxes bear no relation to the amount of road damage caused by different vehicles. Highway wear increases exponentially with the weight of a vehicle's axle load, and past studies have suggested that heavy trucks, in particular, may not be paying their fair share of highway costs. This report (1) summarizes the rationale for and the arguments against assessing fees according to the wear that a driver causes to highways, (2) evaluates the recent experiences of states that assess or have rescinded wear-based fees, and (3) identifies potential approaches that might be used to overcome the obstacles to implementing such fees. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181.htm GAO/RCED-94-181 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-181 Letter Report GAO/RCED-94-181; Highway User Fees: Updated Data Needed to Determine Whether All Users Pay Their Fair Share; Highway research Highway planning Ground transportation operations Intergovernmental relations Use taxes Public roads or highways State-administered programs Administrative costs Fuel taxes Intergovernmental fiscal relations Road Information Project FHwA Strategic Highway Research Program Heavy Vehicle Electronic License Plate Program