Auto haulers face a reality most fleets don’t. Vehicle configurations and overhangs at toll plazas can create “blind spots” that cause RFID transponder reads to fail. When a transponder isn’t detected, the toll agency may treat the passage as a missed toll. This is where rising costs and admin headaches begin.  

At the same time, tolling across the U.S. continues toward all-electronic tolling, relying on toll-by-transponder and toll-by-plate methods. The difference between those methods — and how they’re managed — can significantly impact your bottom line.  

RunBuggy and PrePass are partnering to help auto haulers reduce avoidable toll friction, so fleets can focus on moving more vehicles.  

Why do auto haulers see more “missed reads”?  

Auto-hauler trucks and trailers are often loaded with a vehicle over the truck cab and windshield area. That overhang can interfere with RFID detection, causing the transponder to go unread. When that happens, toll agencies often fall back to plate-based identification, or issue bills for missed toll events.  

The result:  

  • Higher “plate toll” rates.  
  • Violations and fees.  
  • Time-consuming reconciliation and disputes.  

And, critically, this isn’t just a driver’s issue. It’s a design reality.  

Toll-by-transponder: Usually lower-cost and more efficient, until a read is missed. 

Transponder-based tolling avoids many of the “paper invoice” issues that come with mismanaged plate tolling, and it supports automated assignment through established accounts. But auto haulers are the exception: if an overhang blocks RFID detection, a fleet can still end up exposed to high-cost outcomes like plate rates, exceptions, or administrative follow-up. That’s why the smartest approach for auto haulers is coverage and management.  

Toll-by-plate: Convenient but often pricier and slower to process.   

Toll-by-plate works by capturing images of license plates (including trucks and trailers) to identify the vehicle. Yet plate-tolling has downsides that fleets feel quickly:  

  • Assessment and billing delays due to the administrative matching process.  
  • Higher toll rates that authorities use to offset added processing costs and risk.  
  • Potential billing errors from unclear or mismatched plate images.  
  • Increased admin effort for manual review.
  • Penalties and fees if invoices aren’t paid on time.  

Some toll authorities price plate tolling higher to mitigate increased processing costs. However, for fleets, the biggest issue is predictability. Plate-based tolling may not be immediately visible, and reconciliation can become a multi-step, time-consuming process.  

The solution: PrePass Toll Management + continual plate enrollment. 

PrePass pairs toll management with continual, plate-based enrollment so vehicles stay covered even when transponders are installed, replaced, or temporarily removed.  

Continual plate enrollment helps:  

  • Maintain coverage with agencies that allow plate-based tolling.  
  • Reduce the risk of inflated charges when RFID reads are missed.  
  • Minimize surprise invoices and reduce admin lift. 

This approach is especially valuable for fleets with leased or rotating equipment, where consistent enrollment across assets can be challenging. And when questions arise — and they will — PrePass has solutions to make toll activity much easier to monitor and validate.  

The PrePass Mobile App helps drivers and teams stay connected to key information on the road, while GPS Toll Verification helps validate toll transactions and identify discrepancies, supporting clearer visibility and faster resolution when something doesn’t look right.  

Why does this matter for RunBuggy carriers?  

RunBuggy helps auto haulers find and complete more hauls efficiently. And when toll surprises are unmanaged, it directly erodes the margin of a lane and creates time-consuming admin work after delivery.  

Partnership with PrePass is designed to reduce toll surprises so carriers can focus on:  

  • Running loads smoothly from assignment to delivery.  
  • Keeping lane economics predictable. 
  • Reducing back-office time spent tracking toll discrepancies.  

RunBuggy members — get a 10% discount on eligible PrePass solutions.  

What to do next  

If you’re an auto hauler experiencing missed toll reads or inflated plate-rate tolls, ensure your toll-management strategy includes continual plate enrollment as a safety net.  

Claim your 10% RunBuggy discount and learn more about how PrePass can help >