Germany’s toll rates from December 2023 – an 86% increase
Germany has decided to establish new toll rates as early as December 1, 2023. It is estimated that for the majority of vehicle combinations with a gross vehicle weight of up to 40 tons, prices will increase by almost 86% – giving 35.4 cents per kilometer.
The purpose of the toll increases
A document drafted by the German government called the “Modernization Package for Climate Protection and Accelerated Planning” was officially approved back in March of this year. It provides for a significant increase in toll rates, the proceeds of which will be used to develop road and rail infrastructure.
Funding for road and traction modernization plans will thus be paid out of the pockets of not only German carriers, but all those choosing to organize transit or international transports. Consequently, the increase in freight prices will affect the cost of goods, with the consumer ultimately suffering the most.
As the name of the document itself indicates, the sharp increase in toll rates, as well as the introduction of additional fees for CO2 emissions (200 euros per ton), is intended to increase pressure regarding the faster development of an electric transport fleet. Dirk Engelhardt – president of the Federal Association of Road Transport, Logistics and Utilization (BGL) – takes the opposite view. He believes that in the end it will be the consumer who will become the funder of the construction and renovation of railroads and roads. In addition, he believes that such measures will not have the slightest impact on climate change, due to the too narrow range of alternatives in the context of truck drives.
Germany 2024 toll
Rates depending on CO2 emission class
First of all, it should be noted that as of the entry into force of this draft, the toll will start to apply to vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons. Until now, it has applied to trucks of 7.5 tons and above. The toll rate itself, on the other hand, will depend on individual emission classes, measured from 1 to 5.
Class 5 will be awarded to all those vehicles that emit less than 1 gram of CO2 per kWh while covering the distance. These are already referred to as zero-emissions. Class 4, on the other hand, will include all vehicles whose emission value does not exceed 50% of the reference value for a specific category. Class 3 are trucks emitting less than 8% of the reference value, Class 2 is 5%, and Class 1 is the lowest in the hierarchy and intended for vehicles that do not meet any of the previous criteria. It is for vehicle combinations with the lowest emission class that the highest toll rates are stipulated, reaching 35.4 cents per kilometer. By comparison, until December 1, 2023, such a toll is 19 cents per kilometer.