North Bergen, NJ-based Cardella Trucking has been removed from the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey’s “Wall of Shame,” a listing on the bi-state’s agency website that singles out 20 alleged toll scofflaws the Port Authority said owe more than $2.3 million in tolls and fees.
The Port Authority said Cardella owed the agency $148,807 in unpaid tolls between Jan. 2, 2001, and Dec. 30, 2011. But the trucking company claimed toll issues with the Port Authority had been cleared up years ago, according to a report in The Jersey Journal.
Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman also said a lawsuit the agency filed in Hudson County Superior Court on Feb. 29 to collect the alleged unpaid tolls from the company had been settled. He declined to comment further.
“This issue has been resolved and Cardella Trucking has been removed from the (Wall of Shame) list,” he said.
Anthony Cicatiello, a spokesman for Cardella Trucking, told the Journal the issue was due to a communication problem.
“We were completely caught off guard, because this was 1999 when we had some issues (with the Port Authority), but this was rectified years ago,” Cicatiello said, noting “communications between both sides” should have been smoother. “It’s been resolved, and we’re (off the list), so we’re happy with that.”
Intek Auto Leasing of Roseland, NJ, is suing the Port Authority for mistakenly being placed on the “Wall of Shame” list, the Journal reports. Intek claims it leased trucks to another company that is responsible for paying the uncollected tolls.
