Maryland Toll Cameras to Read Trailer Plates in 2027

State of MD - Starting January 1, 2027, drivers who pull a trailer on Maryland toll roads will see a change in how tolls are collected. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) will begin using pictures of the rear license plate on towed trailers and semitrailers to make sure tolls get paid.

The MDTA says this is not a new toll. Drivers will not be charged twice for the same trip.

The change comes from a new law passed during the 2026 General Session. It allows the MDTA to bill the registered owner of a towed trailer or semitrailer by using a picture of the trailer's rear plate.

There is one important condition. The trailer's plate will only be used if the cameras cannot get a picture of the front or rear plate on the vehicle doing the towing.

These trailers are known as Class G vehicles. A Class G vehicle is any trailer or semitrailer that is pulled by another vehicle.

That covers a wide range of trailers. The list includes trailers that haul landscaping supplies, recreational vehicles, water sport vehicles such as jet skis and boats, flatbed trailers and semi-trailers. Horse, lowboy, yacht, farm, dump and utility trailers are on the list too.

MDTA Executive Director Bruce Gartner is encouraging anyone who tows to plan ahead.

"If you tow a trailer on Maryland toll roads whether for work or recreation, now is the time to sign up for E-ZPass to avoid the higher video toll rates or civil penalties," said Gartner.

He also shared a few tips for drivers who already have E-ZPass. "E-ZPass customers should add your vehicle and trailer's license plate to your DriveEzMD account, make sure your transponder is mounted correctly, and always keep your account funded before traveling."

The new law does not change Maryland toll rates. Those rates are still set by the number of axles on a vehicle.

Before this law, the MDTA was not allowed to charge tolls using the rear plate on a towed trailer or semitrailer. That is because trailers were not considered motorized or self-propelled vehicles. The MDTA says the new law will help with toll collection.

Drivers who use Maryland toll facilities without an E-ZPass or Pay-by-Plate account are billed by video. Each time they pass through a toll facility, a camera snaps a picture of their license plate.

A Notice of Toll Due is then mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. The owner is found using MVA or DMV records from their home state.

The MDTA calls E-ZPass the easiest and lowest cost way to pay tolls in Maryland and in other states that accept it. It works with an electronic transponder that needs to be mounted the right way, and the transponder is free for Maryland residents.

E-ZPass account holders can save even more by signing up for one or more E-ZPass discount plans. More information, including a list of common questions about the new Class G law, is available at DriveEzMD.com.

The MDTA pays for, owns, runs, protects and maintains Maryland's toll bridges, tunnels and turnpikes. It does not receive any gas tax money, motor vehicle fees or other money from the state's Transportation Trust Fund.

Instead, the MDTA pays for its projects and services with the tolls collected from the drivers who use its roads, bridges and tunnels.