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I'm just not sure that the bean counters particularly care whether or not their truck drivers have to use the more congested I-75.

And the owner/operators are probably not going to have much interest in paying the tolls if there is a toll-free freeway available. 

I'm sure that a percentage of the Trucks would use the toll road, but suspect that the goal is to inspire 100% of the Trucks to use the toll road. 

We spend a lot of money widening these interstates, I'm suggesting an alternative for trucks to keep trucks off the regular highway.  If they drove on the regular highway they'd get pulled over.

I'm just not sure that the bean counters particularly care whether or not their truck drivers have to use the more congested I-75.

The bean counters most certainly do care. Trucks only make money when they're moving. If the traffic is bad enough on I-75 that the trucks are in stop-and-go, they're using a lot of gas. And with the limits that the truck drivers have regarding rest and off time, sitting in traffic doesn't help them.
Trucks today have very sophisticated tracking systems. I know, I've worked with the companies that build them. They've got GPS, of course, but they're also tied into the onboard computers. They can monitor fuel usage, MPG, etc. Part of this is due to things like taxes, i.e. I believe they don't pay taxes on their fuel directly but they pay each state taxes on how much fuel is consumed when crossing that state. 
If you're sitting in a jam going 10 mph, you're costing that truck company a lot of money. If the traffic is bad enough, the trucking companies would rather pay a reasonable toll than lose money with their trucks sitting in traffic jams.

The bean counters most certainly do care. Trucks only make money when they're moving. If the traffic is bad enough on I-75 that the trucks are in stop-and-go, they're using a lot of gas. And with the limits that the truck drivers have regarding rest and off time, sitting in traffic doesn't help them.
Trucks today have very sophisticated tracking systems. I know, I've worked with the companies that build them. They've got GPS, of course, but they're also tied into the onboard computers. They can monitor fuel usage, MPG, etc. Part of this is due to things like taxes, i.e. I believe they don't pay taxes on their fuel directly but they pay each state taxes on how much fuel is consumed when crossing that state.
If you're sitting in a jam going 10 mph, you're costing that truck company a lot of money. If the traffic is bad enough, the trucking companies would rather pay a reasonable toll than lose money with their trucks sitting in traffic jams.

Well his plan was between Cincy and Atlanta, where the biggest city is Knoxville or maybe Chattanooga. Not much stop and go traffic unless you are actually in Cincinnati or Atlanta. Unless of course there is construction. 

Taxes on Diesel are included in the pump price, same as on gasoline, and it's higher on Diesel, 25 cents a gallon versus 18.5 cents Federal only, plus 40-60 cents state.

Yeah, and maybe I have it backwards. Perhaps they pay for their state excise taxes but are able to claim rebates from the state they purchase from if they are paying the taxes to the other states they're driving through. Considering their tanks are hundreds of gallons, they have the ability to entirely pass through multiple states without buying gas. 
Either way I know it was important for them to do this as it related heavily to the taxes of exactly where they were and what state they were using the gas in. Hence, the bean counters were watching *this* very heavily, you know the bean counters will try to optimize anywhere else they can if it saves a dime.

A fairly simple tactic would be to raise the gas tax 5 cents a gallon each January 1 for a few years.  That would replenish the Federal Highway Trust Fund and we could start to do some of this "infrastructure" stuff.

so, the freight companies pass that on to Walmart and everyone else - I'm fine with that
and then the railroads get fat as well - Warren Buffet is fine with that - and Devilfroggy!