Status: 11/24/2022 3:58 p.m
The toll fees for trucks on motorways and federal highways are to increase at the beginning of the year. The Bundestag has approved an increase in the truck toll from the beginning of 2023. The state should bring significant additional revenue.
The Bundestag has approved an increase in truck tolls from the beginning of next year. Transport Minister Volker Wissing said that the majority of goods traffic takes place on the road. A new EU directive makes it possible to take greater account of the costs of noise and air pollution when calculating toll rates.
“This federal government has decided to make use of it. And that’s only fair.” The result of the toll adjustment are moderately increasing rates. Specifically, it is about an amendment to the Federal Highway Toll Act, which still has to pass the Bundesrat.
Previous coalition dispute settled
Two weeks ago, the traffic light coalition agreed on a roadmap for toll reform, paving the way for adjustment. With a major toll reform on January 1, 2024, there should be an extension to vehicles from 3.5 tons and a CO2 differentiation. So far, the toll applies from 7.5 tons.
The FDP had accused the Greens of a blockade. From the point of view of the Greens, the money from the truck toll should not only go to the construction of new roads. As part of the reform, as agreed in the coalition agreement, the additional income is to be used for mobility across all modes of transport.
The toll is currently divided into three sub-areas: First, a fee for road wear per kilometer, which depends on weight and axles. Secondly, there is a fee for the air pollution caused per kilometer and thirdly for noise. This is currently fixed at 0.2 cents per kilometer, but will also be based on weight and the number of axles in the future. The air pollution part is based on the pollutant class of the truck. The fee for Euro 6 trucks with three axles is currently around 17 cents per kilometer and would then rise to around 18 cents in 2023. From 2024, the toll revenue should no longer benefit road construction alone, but also rail and waterways.
The truck toll was introduced on the federal motorways in 2005 and has since been extended to all federal roads. The annual average of toll revenue in the years 2023 to 2027 is expected to be around 8.3 billion euros. Last year they were around 7.6 billion euros.