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Since October 1^st 2015, Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) with a gross weight exceeding 7.5t are obligated to pay toll for round about 12,800km of federal motorways (Bundesautobahnen) and 2,300km federal trunk roads (Bundesstraßen).

In May 2016 the German parliament (Bundestag) agreed to implement the draft law, submitted by the federal minister for transport and digital infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt (CSU).

This draft looks to extend the existing toll network by round about 40,000km of federal trunk roads as of July 1^st 2018. The declared target of this extension is “a better financing of federal trunk roads as well as a modern, secure and high-performing transport infrastructure in Germany”, an article published by the federal government in February 2017 claims. Further, it states that additional earnings of circa two billion Euros per year are expected.

Why does the extension have wider consequences for the market?

New about the expansion is that in the future all drivers have to pay tolls, when active on German federal trunk roads with vehicles over 7.5t. For customers with vehicles already equipped with an On-board Unit (OBU), these changes only have a very small impact.

Companies, which currently use federal trunk roads primarily, will have to rethink.  So far the manual booking via toll terminals was practicable for irregularly users of federal motorways and toll obligated federal trunk roads. Since as of July 2018 all federal trunk roads will be obligated to tolling, especially these companies should look for a suitable solution at an early stage.

How do customers prepare themselves optimally?

One example for a suitable solution is the OBU of the German toll provider TollCollect. The OBU will be provided without a charge, but therefore it has to be installed by a certified workshop. The expenses for the installation have to be borne by the companies themselves.

Owners of a service card – e.g. the BP + Aral fuel card – profit additionally by smart services, a comprehensive support, receiving all toll transactions combined into one monthly invoice as well as many other services.

Interested parties can find out about the offer of the BP + Aral fuel card here.

Each year, thieves steal more than 1,500 truckloads across Germany and, according to various media reports, cause a material damage of around 1.2 billion euros. The consequences for the economy are estimated significantly higher, as supply chains are interrupted and delays of shipment are caused. The law enforcement authorities suspect the organized crime behind the thievery.

Also, the ruthless gangs put a high risk to the life and health of the drivers, as not infrequently gas is pumped into the cabins during the theft, in order to numb the drivers for a certain period of time.

The European Commission (Directorate General for Energy and Transport) has recognized the problem as well and has funded the SETPOS (Secure European Truck Parking Operational Services) project, which certifies secured parking spaces. There are currently 20 of these so called "secure truck parking lots" across Europe, which can be handled via different fuel or service cards. One of them is located in Germany at the motorway station Uhrsleben on the A2 northwest of Magdeburg. It is surrounded by a 3.2m high fence, holds 50 truck trains, is monitored by 16 surveillance cameras and, of course, offers the "usual" motorway services, such as an ATM or an Aral petrol station in the immediate vicinity.

What exactly is a secure truck parking?

The "secure truck parking lots", which are certified by SETPOS, are all fenced with NATO wire, employ security guards during the night and are equipped with several surveillance cameras. In addition, many of the parking lots offer comfortable services for drivers, such as restaurants, ATMs and sanitary facilities.

Are there alternatives to the parking lots certified by SETPOS?

Yes, for example, the Association of German Motorway Stations (VEDA), which has adopted the idea of ​​the European Commission and has certified so-called PREMIUM and QUALITY parking spaces. For a successful certification, applicants must provide evidence of compliance with 18 criteria. This includes, in addition to restricted intake controls and an illumination of all parking spaces during the night, also the provision of beverages and hot food 24 hours a day.

What are the advantages for operators of secure parking spaces from accepting fuel and service cards?
The acceptance of various tank and service cards guarantees the operators of secured parking spaces the largest possible customer base of national and international customers. In a matter of fact, most transport companies equip their drivers with at least one fuel card to keep a better overview of costs and expenses. In addition, the use of fuel cards reduces the risk of embezzlement for carriers substantially.

We also support the offer of secure parking with fuel and service card acceptance in order to ensure the safety of freight and drivers of our client’s customers.

For many companies, all the different forms, the necessary documentation and the languages that come into play are not only a disagreeable cost block, but often also an annoyance, which additionally consumes time and resources, if one wants to register a vehicle for the toll.

In order to give you a better insight, where drivers and fleet managers often get frustrated and how our expertise can help, we have asked our toll experts.

 

Which tolls do I need when I travel to a country with a toll system?

If a fleet manager or freight forwarder needs to organize a route that crosses several countries, he or she must ask himself two questions: whether and, if so, which tolling systems are necessary in their vehicle category.

Let us give you an example. We assume that a freight forwarder based in Poland has to go to Spain with an 18 ton truck. The truck will probably travel through Poland, Germany, Belgium, France and Spain. At this point, it is important to find an intelligent solution and to check if there is even an on board unit ("toll box") which can cover several countries at the same time. It also has to be checked, in which time span which tolls are recommended, so that the toll payment can be settled on the date of the trip and fines can be prevented.

"We help our customers to keep an overview of the complex toll systems in the various countries of Europe on a daily basis. It is important to know which product the customer really needs and in which period of time a registration might be possible. We advise in these matters and even get advantages, such as certain discount options, if this helps to let the customer drive efficiently through Europe."

Zofia Martinez: Customer Support Operations & Content Coordinator
Languages: German, English, Polish, Spanish

 

Different requirements of the toll operators to a registration

For many customers, the stress continues with the question of which documents are needed for the registration process.

In each country toll operators have their own requirements for registration of vehicles. While in Poland the viaTOLL toll system complies with all types of proof (certificate of conformity, CEMT document or manufacturer's certificate) in the Czech Republic, only the official CEMT document is accepted. This is just one example of many.

"Every day, I help customers to set up and procure the right documents for the respective toll chargers. Many customers not only lose the overview, but also often the patience. I then give advice on what type of form is needed exactly at which point, and how customers can obtain these documents most easily."

Ewa Stępień: Customer Support Operations
Languages: Polish, English, German

 

Language barriers: Toll is a difficult language

Already when entering data into the registration forms, there are big problems for customers.

Especially Eastern European languages are not understood and it is often very difficult to complete the forms correctly. English explanations, if available, do not provide sufficient assistance.

„The customer always comes first. Our customer service team is therefore set up professionally wide. All countries in which we offer toll products can also be linguistically supported. We train our employees on a regular basis so that end users are always supported as best as possible.“

Dorota Sikorska: Assistant Manager Operations
Languages: Polish, English, Russian, German

 

We at TRAFINEO help to quickly and efficiently eliminate all these problems mentioned above. Our professional customer advisors support companies every day in the organization of tolls and other On Road-Services.

Thanks to our toll expertise we help with registration, on the management and the setting up of any toll product. We manage the flow of information between all parties involved and enable end users to travel smoothly across Europe.