Truck tolls in Germany
In Germany, the toll applies to trucks with a permissible total weight of 7.5 tons or more on all federal autobahns (BAB) and, since July 1, 2018, also on all federal highways. The federal road toll, which has been in place since July 1, 2018, was expected to generate up to 2 billion euros in additional annual revenue.
Which trucks are subject to tolls in Germany?
Generally, all trucks or vehicles are subject to tolls if they are
- intended for the carriage of goods, or
- used for the carriage of goods
and whose permissible total weight is at least 7.5 t. This includes trailers.
The Federal Highway Toll Act defines some exceptions. For example, a road maintenance service in the road operation service is exempt from tolls if they are contracted by the public authority.
What is the composition of the cost of tolls for trucks?
The toll rate per kilometer is made up of three components:
- Infrastructure costs: Dependent on the weight class of the tolled vehicles. From a permissible total weight of over 18 tons, an additional distinction is made according to axles (up to 3 or over 4 axles). The amount ranges from 0.08 – 0.174 cents per kilometer, depending on the truck.
- Air pollution costs: Depending on the pollution class (Euro 0 – 6) from 0,085 – 0,011 cents
- Noise pollution costs: 0,002 Euro per kilometer
What are the implications for forwarders?
While the extension of tolls to federal highways on July 1, 2018, had a greater impact on groupage freight, all parts of transportation are now affected by the general increase, with distance bridging particularly hard hit.
How large is the toll portion of the road network in Germany?
In total, there is a toll route network of around 51,000 km. Federal roads account for 38,303 kilometers and federal highways for 12,993 kilometers.
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