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Truck toll bridge in Germany

Source: Fotolia / mitifoto

Current information:

Since 1 July 2024, vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes have been subject to tolls.

This applies to motor vehicles and vehicle combinations

1. that are intended or used for the carriage of goods by road and

2. have a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

Vehicle combinations are only subject to tolls if the motor vehicle has a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

The toll rates applicable since 1 July 2024 can be found at the end of this page under ‘Further information’.

Besides commercial road haulage, the obligation to pay tolls also applies to own-account operations as well as private journeys with vehicles subject to tolls.

It is recommended that all owners and keepers of vehicles subject to tolls get informed about the obligation to pay tolls and register with Toll Collect GmbH or an EETS provider in good time.

Further information on the obligation to pay tolls and on registration can be found on the following websites:

www.balm.bund.de and
www.toll-collect.de

Simultaneously with the lowering of the weight threshold to a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes, a new exemption from tolls for vehicles used by craftspersons entered into force on 1 July 2024. In accordance with the new section 1 (2) sentence 1 no. 10 of the Federal Trunk Road Toll Act (Bundesfernstraßenmautgesetz), vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of less than 7.5 tonnes are exempt from HGV tolls if they are used for carrying materials, equipment or machinery for the driver’s use in the course of the driver’s work as a craftsperson or in a comparable profession, or for delivering goods which are produced on a craft basis, where the transport is not effected for hire or reward.

The Federal Logistics and Mobility Office has published a list of skilled crafts and trades that the exemption covers if all other requirements are met. Craft businesses can report their vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of more than 3.5 and less than 7.5 tonnes via an online registration portal of Toll Collect GmbH. This applies to those vehicles whose use generally meets the requirements of the craftsperson exemption. For more information on the craftsperson exemption, see www.balm.bund.de and www.toll-collect.de.

With the introduction of HGV tolling on federal motorways in 2005, the Federal Government ushered in a step change, moving away from the funding of federal trunk road construction through taxation and towards the ‘user pays’ principle. Since then, the tolling scheme has been widened in two stages (on 1 August 2012 and 1 July 2015) to cover around 2,300 km of four-lane federal highways. In addition, on 1 October 2015, the weight threshold for vehicles subject to tolls was lowered from 12 to 7.5 tonnes maximum permissible weight.

In a third stage, HGVs have had to pay tolls for the use of all the approximately 40,000 km of federal highways since 1 July 2018. The legal basis of these measures is the Fourth Federal Trunk Road Toll (Amendment) Act of 27 March 2017 (Federal Law Gazette I, p. 564). Uniform toll rates apply on federal motorways and federal highways.
In addition, weight categories were introduced on 1 January 2019. Especially with regard to lighter commercial vehicles with a maximum permissible weight between 7.5 tonnes and 18 tonnes, this categorization, in comparison with the former categorization by the number of axles, has further contributed to allocating infrastructure costs more fairly among road users.

On 1 December 2023, the CO2 differentiation of the HGV toll was introduced and the technically permissible maximum laden mass (TPMLM) became the relevant feature for determining the level of tolls and the obligation to pay tolls.

In another step, on 1 July 2024, the weight threshold was reduced from more than 7.5 tonnes to more than 3.5 tonnes of technically permissible maximum laden mass. Since 1 July 2024, vehicles that are intended or used for the carriage of goods and have a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes have been subject to tolls. Vehicle combinations are only subject to tolls if the motor vehicle has a technically permissible maximum laden mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

After deduction of the costs for collection, enforcement and toll compensation measures, half of the toll revenue generated by the HGV tolling scheme is used for the federal trunk roads and the other half for mobility measures, in particular for the federal railway infrastructure. In 2023, the scheme generated about 7.4 billion euros. Given the urgent need for investment in the structural maintenance and upgrading of the transport networks, the tolling scheme makes a major contribution to transport infrastructure funding.

By varying the toll rates according to the pollutants and CO2 the vehicles emit, the tolling scheme also provides hauliers with an incentive to efficiently deploy less polluting vehicles and supports a modal shift of freight traffic to the rail and waterway modes. For zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, the Federal Trunk Road Toll Act provides for an exemption from tolls until 31 December 2025 in order to support the market ramp-up of these vehicles. Zero-emission vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of up to 4.25 tonnes are permanently exempted from tolls.

In Europe, there are currently different tolling systems using different toll collection equipment. The European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) provides the possibility of paying HGV tolls across borders on tolled European roads with only one on-board unit and one EETS provider. Further information (in German) on the European Electronic Toll Service can be found on the website of the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office.

Collecting tolls and enforcing payment

Toll Collect GmbH (http://www.toll-collect.de/) awas awarded the contract for toll collection and automatic checking using enforcement gantries and posts. Users wishing to participate in the automatic collection of tolls using an on-board unit have to register with Toll Collect. Comprehensive information on the procedures and on the functions of Toll Collect can be found on the company's website. As an alternative, it is possible to register with an EETS provider approved in Germany (see above) and to participate via this service in the automatic collection of tolls using an on-board unit.

With its satellite and mobile communications-based tolling technology, Germany has one of the most modern tolling systems in the world. First and foremost, this means that new route and charge data can be transferred without the need for sophisticated roadside infrastructure and without the vehicles having to visit a garage. The vehicle parameters that are relevant to the collection of tolls as well as the journey data are transmitted by the on-board unit to Toll Collect’s data processing centre in encrypted form. The toll is calculated there. Payment of the tolls is monitored by stationary automatic enforcement gantries on motorways and by enforcement posts on federal highways. In addition, the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office has mobile enforcement vehicles and portable enforcement gantries, which are used on bridges over federal motorways and federal highways. Moreover, the Federal Office also carries out spot checks at the haulier’s premises. Users who pay no toll or an incorrect amount are committing an administrative offence and have to pay a penalty charge or fine in addition to the toll in arrears.

The Federal Trunk Road Toll Act stipulates the purposes for which data produced in connection with tolling may be used. Data collected at enforcement gantries or enforcement posts must be erased immediately after the enforcement action if the vehicle is not subject to tolls. Moreover, images of vehicles and registration number data may generally be processed only for the purpose of tolling.

Infrastructure cost study as a basis for calculating toll rates

In accordance with the relevant EU Directive (in German), the level of HGV tolls must be based on the actual infrastructure costs. These are primarily the costs of constructing, upgrading, maintaining and operating the road network.

The current statement of infrastructure costs was prepared for the period from 2023 to 2027. Like in the previous statement of infrastructure costs, external costs caused by air and noise pollution have also been calculated. Under the Infrastructure Charging Directive, these external costs may be charged in addition to the infrastructure costs. In addition, toll component rates for the external costs of CO2 emissions from transport were determined.

Financial assistance programmes for the harmonization of tolling systems

Given the conditions of competition in Europe, the Federal Government launched two open-ended programmes in 2009 to ease the burden on the German road haulage industry.

The Programme to Promote Safety and Environmental Protection in Road Haulage Companies Operating Heavy Goods Vehicles (Environmental Protection and Safety, formerly De Minimis) (in German) pursues the objectives of permanently enhancing road haulage safety and reducing the adverse environmental impact of road haulage.

The aims of the Programme to Promote Initial and Continuing Training, Skills Development and Employment in Road Haulage Companies Operating Heavy Goods Vehicles (in German) are to develop sector-specific skills among the workforce and reduce the shortage of mobile workers.

Legal bases

For further information, please see the FAQs of the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office.