Things You Didn't Know You Needed, Part 1
I recently discovered a solution to a long-term issue. Well, to be fair, after more than three decades on the road, it is a rather recent issue, as technology marches forward. Toll passes have become the standard for toll roads in recent years. Long gone are the toll booths that accept cash payments. Nowadays, you either have a toll pass account and receive a discount on tolls, or you pay by plate, where the toll gantry films your license plate as you pass and then an invoice is mailed to the plate’s owner.
This system helps keep toll roads moving by eliminating the bottlenecks of traffic stopping to pay cash. It’s efficient, it’s fast, and it’s the future, but like most improvements, it comes with its own quirks, especially for those of us who live on the road and rack up thousands of miles a week.
There are many toll passes available. Many truckers use BestPass or ElitePass for the convenience of an all-in-one transponder that can cover all of the different states’ tolling systems. These do, however, come at a price. You will receive discounts with these, but they come with a monthly administrative fee. As long as the toll savings are substantial enough to outweigh the monthly fee, these can be a great option. Many drivers use these because of the simplicity of having everything in one place, and they are willing to accept the convenience and the tax-deductible fees, even if the toll savings do not outweigh the costs.
Personally, I use a different approach. I have a PrePass transponder for weigh station bypass. I also have an iPass transponder that covers all of the E-ZPass network of tolls. I have a FasTrak account for California tolls. I have an HCTRA (formerly TxTag) for tolls in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Florida. Two are transponders and two are toll pass stickers. I don’t mind having the separate free accounts, except for the PrePass, which is a paid service. No monthly fees for toll discounts wherever I travel.
This setup has worked well for me, but it does come with one recurring annoyance: windshield replacements. Trucks go through windshields far more often than passenger vehicles. Between road debris, weather, and the sheer number of miles, replacing a windshield is just part of the lifestyle. And every time you replace one, you have to peel off those toll stickers, order new ones, wait for them to arrive, and then stick them back on. It’s not a crisis, but it’s one of those small inconveniences that adds friction to an already busy routine.
All the tolling systems will mail you as many free replacement decals as you need, so it’s not a cost issue, just a hassle. And if you’ve ever tried to remove a toll sticker cleanly, you know they don’t exactly peel off like a Post-it note. They come off in pieces, leave residue, and generally have you reaching for the rubbing alcohol to scrub the glass until it stops feeling tacky. Anyone who has ever fought with one of those things knows the routine: fingernails, razor blade, patience, and a few muttered words. Of course, you really don’t need to peel them off a windshield that’s being removed from the truck, but that doesn’t stop the installer from handing you the old glass with the stickers still welded on like barnacles. And if you want to salvage them, good luck; they’re not designed to survive the trip.
Recently, I found toll pass holders on, yep, you guessed it, Amazon. These clear acrylic toll pass sticker holders have suction cups to mount on the windshield. They are marketed toward those who need to move toll passes between vehicles, but they work great for trucks that need windshield replacements far more often than cars do. I have found the suction cups to hold so well that I also moved my PrePass transponder to one.
This gives the added benefit of being able to remove all of them easily for windshield cleaning. Anyone who has ever tried to clean around a stuck-on transponder knows how awkward it can be. With these holders, you just pop them off, clean the glass, and pop them back on. No fuss, no residue, no realignment dance.
I stumbled across these online, and they quickly became one of those things I could use that I didn’t even know existed. One of those things I didn’t know I needed. After thirty-plus years on the road, you’d think I’d have seen every gadget, workaround, and trick in the book. But every now and then, something simple shows up that makes life just a little easier. And in trucking, those small improvements add up.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
- Plato
See you down the road,
Greg