State lawmakers’ passage of Senate Bill 2111 on Oct. 31 saves Metra , Pace and the CTA from a massive shortfall leading to service cuts and layoffs.

But tucked into the bailout is a toll hike that will devastate the trucking industry, raise the cost of goods and reduce safety, executive Mike Moran contends.

“When I woke up on Friday (Oct. 31) they handed me a $360,000 cost increase,” said Moran, president of Elk Grove Village-based Moran Transportation Corp. “No notice, no word, no nothing. It’s the largest single cost increase I’ve seen from any vendor in 46 years of business.”

The medium-sized company already pays about $1.2 million in tolls annually.

“This was a miserable blow,” Moran said.

Senate Bill 2111 would raise tolls by 30% on commercial vehicles including trucks and 45

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