Indiana Toll Road closes a truck-parking lot; New Hampshire votes to double a toll

Two road-cost stories landed this week that a driver can plan around now. The Indiana Toll Road says several projects will keep toll plazas and a key truck-parking lot closed, with detours to map before you roll — and Land Line warns of a scam riding alongside the work.

In New Hampshire, lawmakers overrode a veto to raise tolls, and some trucks will see their rate nearly double, from $4.95 to $9.50. It starts in 2027, so it is a budgeting problem, not a tomorrow problem — but it is worth pricing into any lane that runs the state.

The load boards, meanwhile, went nowhere. DAT reports dry van load posts unmoved for a third straight week, with total load posts up 3% for the week of Aug. 16–22, and Truckstop and FTR describe spot rates as still sluggish despite higher fuel costs. That is the squeeze in one line: national on-highway diesel averaged $5.454 a gallon in the week to Aug. 17, up 3.7% on the week, while the freight that pays for it stayed flat. That pump figure is a retail average including taxes; fleets buying on contract at truck stops pay less, so read it as direction, not as your invoice.

For anyone who started a business into this market, FreightWaves has a sobering look at why roughly 85% of new carriers did not survive the past three years — over-financed equipment meeting a long downturn. Worth a read before signing for another truck.

Finally, the American Transportation Research Institute has opened its 2026 Top Industry Issues survey. It is the one ranking regulators and lobbyists actually cite, and it takes a few minutes — if parking, insurance or detention time is eating your week, this is where you say so.