Ah, toll roads. You've already paid a tax for the highways once in the form of fuel, and now they expect you to pay again?! And with that rig behind you, it's going to be even MORE?! If you're planning your next road trip, here's some tips on how to avoid some of those pesky tolls.
The first, and probably most widely well known, is what we like to call "The Jersey Effect". In the case of most bridges, whether crossing the Delaware or the Hudson, you usually don't have to pay to enter New Jersey, but you almost always have to pay to leave. There are a few bridges that are free, but can be very narrow or even prohibit trucks and RVs altogether, so plan ahead. This effect isn't limited to Pennsylvania or Delaware, either. If you're planning a trip to New England, the Hudson River has several crossings, and although you aren't going specifically into New Jersey, tolls are collected going "away from New Jersey" (eastbound), but are not collected going "towards New Jersey" (westbound).
Secondly, remember that the limited access highways are typically what's tolled, so try some US or state routes that have at-grade intersections. Need to get to Delaware from Baltimore? Try US 1 and MD/DE 273. Heading west from Cleveland? OH 2 is actually really nice, coupled with US 20 if you need to go due west of Toledo. Need to go east to Boston? Vermont and New Hampshire help you there, with VT/NH 9 and NH 101. Remember that this isn't always the case, especially when you consider both the aforementioned Jersey Effect, as well as some of the bridges across the bays near Annapolis, Norfolk, and San Francisco. Also be careful, because states like Texas and Florida have their toll roads on state highways to get around federal funding blocks, so an interstate highway may be better in those cases.
The third thing to remember is that optimization takes practice. You probably aren't going to find the best route right away, and it'll take some playing with bypasses and shortcuts to get it right. If you're traveling a long way, try to use the distance to your advantage, because the gas hit isn't that bad. North of Chicago is easy to go US 41 past Waukegan after using I-94, but if you're heading west to Iowa and chose to go towards Fort Wayne from Toledo, why not stay on US 24, go to Peoria, and avoid Chicago altogether? US 30 to I-80 is very tempting, but goes through what seems like a bad part of town. Keep an eye on the fuel usage because western towns are spread a bit more thin, but with some planning, you should be OK.
Don't let Following your Internal Compass cost you an arm and a leg. Find your way around the toll roads and enjoy this country.
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