Summary
- CK Companies struggled with double-billed transponders, entry/exit misreads, and costly cash-rate tolling across a multi-state hauling operation.
- They adopted Fleetworthy Toll Management, gaining a consolidated statement, real-time toll dashboards, and hands-on support from Account Executive Liam Cannon.
- Within months, the fleet cut monthly toll costs from $25,000 to $11,000, saving more than $10,000 every month while eliminating billing errors and administrative drag.
When Ed Arthurs joined CK Companies LLC as Controller and Office Manager in March 2025, the toll situation was already a long-standing problem, and it was getting worse.
The Challenge
The company was running approximately $25,000 in monthly tolls. They had transponders through NYS E-ZPass, but tractor-trailers were being double-billed for two plates. The billing errors were real and recurring, but between managing a complex operation across multiple companies and the notoriously difficult process of disputing tolls through state jurisdictions, there simply wasn’t time to organize the discrepancies, identify the right channels, and push back effectively. Even after the transponders were pulled, issues with entry and exit misreads continued, errors that were just as hard to track down and just as difficult to get resolved. The result was cash-rate tolling, which effectively doubled the costs. That went on for several years.
By the time Ed arrived, toll management wasn’t just an operational headache. It was a significant, uncontrolled expense — and a real exposure risk. The New York State Thruway Authority can revoke vehicle registrations for unpaid or disputed tolls. For a fleet running specialized hauling and lowboy work across seven northeastern states, that’s not a theoretical risk.
Ed also had a lot on his plate. He manages payroll, HR, accounting, insurance, customer inquiries, and oversight across multiple companies. Toll management was consuming time he didn’t have and costing money the business couldn’t keep losing.
The Solution
Ed came to the table with prior experience. As an external CPA who had worked with owner-operators, he was already familiar with the product that is now Fleetworthy Toll Management (formerly Bestpass). He reached out directly and was connected with Account Executive Liam Cannon.
What happened next set the tone for the entire relationship.
Getting approved for transponders required clearing a prior balance first — not a simple starting point. Liam worked through it with Ed, helped navigate the process, and made the transition as smooth as possible. When the transponders were ready, Liam didn’t ship them. He drove to CK Companies’ Schenectady, NY office, in the Capital Region, and hand-delivered them.
That’s not standard practice for an account executive. For Ed, it was the moment he knew this was a different kind of vendor relationship.
Liam has continued to check in on the account regularly since. Ed describes him as the kind of person who makes you feel like a genuine partner, not a transaction.
Beyond the relationship, the platform itself delivered:
- Consolidated toll management across all vehicles, eliminating the double-billing and misread issues that plagued their E-ZPass setup
- A real-time toll dashboard with tools to look up toll roads, anticipated costs by vehicle type, and full trip-level detail — before a job or after
- A single monthly statement replacing separate invoices from multiple state jurisdictions including NY, PA, NJ, MA, and DE
- Automated replenishment that notifies the team when funds reach a threshold — no active management required
- Optimized toll rates that immediately reduced per-transaction costs versus cash-rate tolling
And when changes to the fleet required direct contact with support, the experience matched the standard Liam had set. The customer service team was responsive, friendly, and resolved Ed’s inquiries efficiently, a meaningful complement to the platform itself.
The Results
Ed ran the numbers himself. His internal analysis documented over $10,000 in monthly savings compared to their previous approach.
$10,000+ saved every month. May 2025 toll charges came in at $11,000. Under the old method, the same period would have cost $25,000. That’s a consistent, measurable delta — not a one-time event.
Eight months cost less than four. The last eight months of 2025 using Fleetworthy Toll Management cost less in total than the first four months of 2025 under E-ZPass. The math speaks for itself.
One statement instead of many. Under cash tolling, invoices arrived separately from every state jurisdiction, including NY, PA, NJ, MA, DE, and others. Now Ed receives a single Fleetworthy statement. The consolidation alone reduces administrative friction significantly.
The tools to price jobs with confidence. For specialized hauling and lowboy work, unknown toll costs can quietly erode job margins. Fleetworthy’s dashboard gives Ed the ability to look up toll roads and costs by vehicle type before a job is accepted, so there are no surprises when the job is done. After the fact, full trip and toll detail is available instantly, giving the team complete visibility into what was incurred and where.
A system that runs itself. Ed calls it “set it and forget it.” Funds replenish automatically. Statements arrive when needed. He reviews them and moves on. Under E-ZPass, the same process created constant administrative drag — misread entries and exits, incorrect toll amounts, and reconciliation across jurisdictions. That’s gone.
One less thing on a very long list. Ed oversees multiple companies. Removing toll management as an active concern isn’t a minor convenience, it’s a real return on his capacity. As he puts it: “If I get freed up to do something else, that’s a great thing.”
The Difference Partnership Makes
Hand-delivering transponders to a customer’s office isn’t in any account executive’s job description. Checking in after an account is running smoothly isn’t required. But it’s exactly the kind of attention that turns a vendor into a partner — and a satisfied customer into an advocate. When Ed needs to contact customer support directly, that same standard has held: responsive, knowledgeable, and focused on getting things resolved.
Fleetworthy Toll Management gives fleet operators the tools to control toll costs, eliminate billing surprises, and reduce the administrative weight of managing tolls across multiple jurisdictions. The people behind it make sure it actually works for you.
Ready to see what Fleetworthy Toll Management can do for your fleet? Request a demo at fleetworthy.com.
“If I get freed up to do something else, that’s a great thing.” — Ed Arthurs, Controller/Office Manager, CK Companies LLC