Truck on a highway

Connecticut Highway Use Fee

Learn More About Your Requirements and How Penske Can Help

The State of Connecticut began imposing its Highway Use Fee and associated permit requirement on January 1, 2023. While certain details of the implementation are subject to change and still being worked out, Penske wants to provide its customers with information about the status of the permitting process, tax filings and payments.

We will add information to this page as it becomes available, so please bookmark it and continue to check back. If you prefer, you can watch the recorded version of this content ( watch video here).

Overview

What is it?

  • A monthly fee for using Connecticut’s highways/public roads
  • A requirement that affected carriers must register with the State of Connecticut for an associated permit (Penske cannot complete the registration for you)

Who does it affect – and where?

  • All carriers operating trucks on any highway in Connecticut that are (i) over 26,000 lbs. and (ii) classified as Class 8-13 trucks
  • The Fee applies to vehicles such as: two-axle trucks pulling one- and two-axle trailers; two-axle tractors pulling one- and two-axle trailers; and three-axle tractors pulling one-axle trailers
  • Exemptions: Dairy haulers (“a motor vehicle carrying or transporting milk or dairy product to or from a dairy farm that holds a license to ship milk” 1)
  • The registration is on a fleet basis and not vehicle specific; therefore, you will have one permit for all your affected vehicles
  • No trip permits are available; if you have one affected vehicle traveling through Connecticut for one day, the registration and return requirements apply

1https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DRS/Publications/TSS...

When did it take effect?

  • January 1, 2023

What are my next steps and deadlines?

  • Registration and Permitting: As a first step, you must register your business with the Connecticut DRS online using the myconneCT portal. Even if your business is already registered with the state, you must add the Highway Use Fee to your account. Due to the personally identifiable information (PII) and taxable status information that the state requires to be submitted, Penske cannot complete the registration for you. See below for how to register.
  • Reporting and Filing: Required tax reporting occurs on a monthly basis. The first monthly fee for your applicable vehicles’ distance traveled in Connecticut during January 2023 is due by February 28, 2023. In other words, you must pay your applicable taxes for the previous month by the end of the current month. See below for how Penske can assist you.

Here are some useful links:


Registration and Permitting

For Full-Service Truck Leasing and Contract Maintenance customers only

(If your customer number on Penske invoices starts with a 6)

Follow these steps to register your business:

  1. Visit the myconneCT portal
  2. Follow the tutorial in the applicable attachment^
    1. My business is based in Connecticut*: Adding a Highway Use Fee Account
    2. My business is not based in Connecticut: Registering for Highway Use Fee
  3. Print your registration confirmation
  4. Keep an eye out for your permit, which may appear in your myconneCT account and/or be mailed to your business address

*If your business is based in Connecticut, you may already have a myconneCT account.
^Important! When you get to the Third Party Filing section at the end, we recommend that you do not check the box as it will prevent you from completing registration.

If Penske is under contract to perform your fuel and distance tax filings, please also perform these steps:

  1. Send a copy of your registration confirmation and permit to Penske’s Fleet Services team in one of these ways
    1. By email: penske.customersupport@penske.com
    2. By mail: Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P.
      c/o Shane Mulholland
      2675 Morgantown Rd
      Reading, PA 19607
  2. Place a copy of your permit in each of your vehicles (We will also share a copy of your permit with our service locations to put into your vehicles.)
    1. Note: If your permit isn’t available the day you intend to operate, place a copy of your registration confirmation in each of your vehicles until it is ready.
For Commercial Truck Rental customers (including National Rental Accounts) only

(If your customer number on Penske invoices starts with a 3)

Follow these steps to register your business:

  1. Visit the myconneCT portal
  2. Follow the tutorial in the applicable attachment
    1. My business is based in Connecticut*: Adding a Highway Use Fee Account
    2. My business is not based in Connecticut: Registering for Highway Use Fee
  3. Print your registration confirmation
  4. Keep an eye out for your permit, which may appear in your myconneCT account and/or be mailed to your business address

*If your business is based in Connecticut, you may already have a myconneCT account.

Once you have your permit:

  1. Place a copy of your permit in each of your vehicles (Make sure your drivers bring it with them for each new commercial truck rental!)
    1. Note:If your permit isn’t available the day you intend to operate, place a copy of your registration confirmation in each of your vehicles until it is ready.


Reporting and Filing

For Full-Service Truck Leasing and Contract Maintenance customers only

If you have elected to have Penske handle your permitting and tax reporting as the sole administrator*, please provide us with the following information as soon as possible. You can find it by logging into your myconneCT account and navigating to the Highway Use Fee section.

  • Account ID
  • CT Registration No.

Please send a screenshot or scanned copy by email to penske.customersupport@penske.com. Put your 6-digit Penske customer number (starting with a “6”) and company name in the subject line for faster processing.

Another option is to send us a copy of your permit (also known as the license page) upon receipt.

We have already begun processing distance reports for January’s tax requirement, which has a deadline of Feb. 28.

*The Connecticut DRS only allows one administrator to file on your behalf. That means if you have leasing or maintenance contracts with other companies in addition to Penske, you will have to select one to be the tax reporting administrator.

For Commercial Truck Rental customers (including National Rental Accounts) only

The Connecticut DRS is still finalizing the required data points. You may need to gather the following pieces of information per vehicle traveling in Connecticut to complete your monthly tax filing. We will provide an update as soon as possible.

  • Vehicle identification number (VIN)
  • Gross vehicle weight (GVW)
  • License plate number and state
  • Total miles traveled
  • Miles traveled in Connecticut

To help support your tax filings, each month we will mail you a summary of any distance records that we have received from the previous month for your Penske commercial truck rental vehicles traveling in Connecticut.

Follow these steps to file your monthly tax return:

  1. Log into your myconneCT portal account
  2. Follow the tutorial in this attachment: Filing a Highway Use Fee Return
    1. You can manually enter vehicles or upload a file
    2. Taxes are calculated once all the data points are entered
  3. Review and pay your fee


Page Recording

Watch this video for an overview of the content on this page.

This information is provided as a courtesy and does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal, accounting or tax advice. All information, content, and materials are for general informational purposes only, and Penske makes no representations or warranties about this information whatsoever, including without limitation its accuracy, completeness, or currency. This email and/or webpage contains links to other third-party websites maintained by the State of Connecticut. Such links are for your convenience. Penske does not maintain and is not responsible for the contents of these third-party sites.

Last Updated: January 26, 2023