New regulations are constantly being introduced in traffic. These are not always beneficial to all participants, including in the present case. Because the expansion of truck (lorry) duty suddenly means additional costs when transporting goods.
Traffic. Smaller trucks are now also subject to tolls
As reported by Spiegel, among others, the truck charge in Germany was expanded on July 1 to include vehicles with a technically permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW) of more than 3.5 tons. Both individual vehicles and combinations of vehicles in which the towing vehicle exceeds this weight limit are affected, provided they are used for haulage. For the state, it means additional income of billions.
The goal of the new truck toll regulations is to achieve a fairer distribution of tolls while creating incentives for more environmentally friendly vehicles. Companies should therefore check whether their vehicles are affected by the new regulations and take appropriate measures to record and provide evidence.
However, there is an exception for craft businesses. vehicles transporting materials, equipment or handicrafts are exempt from duty under certain conditions. However, this exemption only applies if the transport is directly related to the craft activity.
This is how the fee is calculated
In the past, the duty obligation applied to trucks of 7.5 tons and more. However, the fee will not apply only to lighter vehicles. It now also contains a CO2 component, introduced in December 2023. This takes into account vehicle emissions and affects the amount of the charge. The calculation is based on the emission class, the number of axles and the weight of the truck.
The truck toll was originally introduced on federal highways in 2005 and later expanded to all federal highways. According to Spiegel, the Ministry of Transport expects a revenue of about 7.4 billion euros in 2023.