Quick answer: Connecticut's Highway Use Fee is a per-mile charge on heavy vehicles (26,000 lbs and up) using Connecticut highways, in effect since January 1, 2023 and separate from IFTA. The rate is weight-based, starting at 2.5 cents per mile and rising with weight. Since Q4 2023 it is filed quarterly (not monthly), through Connecticut's myconneCT portal, and applies to interstate and Canadian cross-border carriers.
Key Takeaways
- The HUF applies to eligible vehicles of 26,000 lbs or more (roughly Class 8–13).
- It is weight-based: 2.5¢/mile at 26,000–28,000 lbs, scaling up to the highest rates for vehicles over 80,000 lbs.
- It took effect January 1, 2023, and switched from monthly to quarterly filing effective October 1, 2023.
- Register and file through Connecticut DRS's myconneCT portal; zero returns are still required each quarter.
- It is separate from IFTA, and applies to interstate and Canadian cross-border carriers, not just Connecticut-based fleets.
Connecticut is the newest entrant to the weight-distance/highway-use tax club, having launched its Highway Use Fee in 2023. Because it is recent, it is one of the most commonly missed — carriers who have run the Northeast for years may not realize a new per-mile fee now applies on top of IFTA and tolls.
Who must register and file
The Highway Use Fee applies to carriers operating eligible motor vehicles with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more on Connecticut highways — the heavier end of the fleet, roughly Class 8 through 13. Like the other state mileage taxes, it applies to any qualifying vehicle on Connecticut roads, so interstate carriers and Canadian cross-border fleets must comply, not only Connecticut-domiciled carriers.
The weight-based rate
The HUF is weight-based and increases with the vehicle's gross weight. It begins at 2.5 cents per mile for vehicles in the 26,000–28,000 pound range and climbs up the weight scale, with the highest per-mile rates applying to the heaviest vehicles over 80,000 pounds. You calculate the fee by multiplying each eligible vehicle's Connecticut miles by the per-mile rate for its weight. The Connecticut DRS publishes the full rate schedule; use it for the exact rate at your vehicles' weights.
Monthly became quarterly
This is the detail that trips carriers up: the Highway Use Fee started as a monthly filing when it took effect January 1, 2023, but the frequency changed to quarterly effective with the quarter beginning October 1, 2023. So in 2026 you file the Connecticut HUF quarterly, not monthly. As with the other state mileage taxes, a return is required for every quarter even if you operated no vehicles in Connecticut during the period.
How to register and file
Registration and filing both run through myconneCT, Connecticut DRS's online portal. You complete the Highway Use Fee registration application electronically, then file the quarterly return through the same system, reporting Connecticut miles by eligible vehicle. It is a separate registration from IFTA and your other credentials.
Recordkeeping
The requirement is the familiar one: defensible Connecticut mileage by vehicle for each quarter. Trip-level distance that isolates Connecticut miles per truck is what the return needs and what an audit will check — the same per-jurisdiction data your IFTA return relies on.
How TruckerPro helps
Connecticut's fee adds one more per-mile filing to the Northeast, and — because it changed rules in its first year — one more thing to get wrong. TruckerPro captures Connecticut miles by vehicle automatically from your trip data, the same feed that builds your IFTA return, so the quarterly HUF return is quick to produce and easy to defend. If your lanes also touch New York, Kentucky, or New Mexico, the same mileage data covers those state taxes too — one trip record, every jurisdiction filing.
This article is editorial guidance for carriers, including Canadian cross-border fleets, and is not tax or legal advice. Verify the current rate schedule and filing requirements with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services before filing.
Source: Connecticut Department of Revenue Services — Highway Use Fee.
Frequently asked questions
Who has to pay the Connecticut Highway Use Fee?
The Connecticut Highway Use Fee applies to carriers operating eligible motor vehicles with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more on Connecticut highways. That covers heavier trucks (roughly Class 8 through 13). It applies to interstate carriers and Canadian cross-border fleets, not just Connecticut-based ones — any qualifying vehicle running in Connecticut must register and file.
How much is the Connecticut Highway Use Fee per mile?
The fee is weight-based and rises with the vehicle's gross weight. It starts at 2.5 cents per mile for vehicles in the 26,000–28,000 pound range and increases up the weight scale, reaching the highest per-mile rates for the heaviest vehicles over 80,000 pounds. Your liability is your Connecticut miles multiplied by the per-mile rate for each vehicle's weight. Check the Connecticut DRS rate schedule for the exact rate at your weight.
Is the Connecticut Highway Use Fee filed monthly or quarterly?
Quarterly. The Highway Use Fee started as a monthly filing when it took effect January 1, 2023, but the filing and payment frequency changed to quarterly effective with the quarter beginning October 1, 2023. Carriers now file a Connecticut Highway Use Fee return each quarter, and must file for every quarter even if they operated no vehicles in Connecticut during that period.
How do I register for the Connecticut Highway Use Fee?
You register by completing an application electronically through Connecticut DRS's online portal, myconneCT. Registration is separate from IFTA and from your other credentials. Once registered, you file the quarterly Highway Use Fee return through the same portal, reporting your Connecticut miles by eligible vehicle.
Is the Connecticut Highway Use Fee the same as IFTA?
No. IFTA is a fuel-use tax; the Connecticut Highway Use Fee is a separate, Connecticut-only per-mile fee on heavy vehicles using Connecticut highways. A carrier running into Connecticut can owe both and files them separately. Both rely on accurate Connecticut mileage, so they are usually produced from the same trip data.
Do Canadian carriers pay the Connecticut Highway Use Fee?
Yes. The Highway Use Fee applies to any eligible vehicle of 26,000 lbs or more operating on Connecticut highways regardless of where the carrier is based, so Canadian cross-border fleets running lanes into or through Connecticut must register with Connecticut DRS and file quarterly. It is one of the newer state mileage-based charges and is easy to miss because it began only in 2023.