Starting from July 1, 2024, road tolls in Germany also apply to trucks up to 7.5 tons.
On which road sections do tolls apply?
The toll network in our western neighbor includes highways with gas stations, rest areas, and federal roads, totaling approximately 51,000 km.
Most transports carried out in Germany by trucks with a GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) over 7.5 tons require toll payment.
Where do road tolls for trucks not apply in Germany?
There are a few such sections:
➡️ Autobahn A5 from the German-Swiss and German-French border to the Müllheim/Neuenburg exit – in both directions
➡️ Autobahn A6 from the German-French border to the Saarbrücken-Fechingen exit – in both directions.
From July 1, 2024, road tolls in Germany also apply to vehicles with a GVW over 3.5 tons. Previously, only vehicles with a GVW exceeding 7.5 tons were subject to tolls.
For van drivers with a GVW up to 3.5 tons and car drivers, nothing will change for now.
At the end of 2023, road tolls in Germany for trucks increased significantly.
Vehicle Categories and Toll Rates Per Kilometer:
➡️ Trucks over 18 tons, consisting of at least 5 axles and meeting Euro 6 emission standards, must pay €0.384.
➡️ The same combinations with Euro 5 emission class pay €0.389.
➡️ Three-axle trucks, meeting Euro 6 standards with a GVW from 7.5 to 11.99 tons, pay a toll of €0.178.
➡️ The same combinations with Euro 5 emission class pay €0.206.
How to pay on German roads?
➡️ It is possible with a vignette,
➡️ Or using the free on-board devices provided by Germany for road toll collection.
The device must be installed in the vehicle according to the instructions, and the truck must be registered with the chosen payment method on the toll-collect.de website.
What happens if it is discovered during an inspection that the toll was paid incorrectly?
➡️ If the truck's route can be determined, the toll will be charged for the actual road section traveled.
➡️ If, however, the route cannot be determined, the toll will be charged for a section equal to 500 km traveled.
How to avoid road tolls in Germany?
Road tolls in Germany for trucks with a GVW from 3.5 to 7.5 tons are now mandatory. Tolls for truck combinations will be charged when the vehicle’s GVW exceeds 3.5 tons. However, craftsmen can obtain toll exemptions after meeting specific conditions (a list of eligible professions is available on the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM) website). All commercial transports in Germany carried out by vehicles over 3.5 tons and the transport of industrial goods are subject to tolls.
What are the conditions for toll exemption?
A person eligible for exemption should:
Send the company's registration documents and the vehicle registration certificate translated into German.
After two years, resubmit the application, as the Toll Collect service operator stores the submitted documents for this time.
Photo by Stephan Widua on Unsplash
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