Germany's 80% toll hike for trucks sparks concerns in transport industry

Starting from Friday, December 1, Germany plans to increase toll rates for trucks by over 80 percent. Representatives from the Polish transport have expressed their concerns, saying that this increase will hit their industry.

On October 20 the German Bundestag passed a law, according to which the fee for using roads and highways for trucks will significantly increase. There will be an 83 percent rise for vehicles that meet the Euro VI standard, making it 35.4 euro cents per kilometer. Furthermore, from July 2024, the toll will also cover trucks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. Currently, tolls are only applicable to vehicles weighing 7.5 tonnes or more, as reported by the Deutsche Welle service in late October.

Piotr Magdziak, a representative from the management board of the Magtrans logistics company, expressed high levels of concern. He stated that for carriers, an increase of over 80 percent in tolls on German highways has been a shock.

Magdziak, who is also a board member of the Transport and Logistics Poland organization, pointed out that the increase will be felt "month by month". There is insufficient time for talks with clients or detailed calculations - he stated.

The transport industry is likely to raise prices for their customers to accommodate this increase. Magdziak outlined that such a change should be phased in over time. His company, Magtrans, alone will need to allocate an additional $4.7 million per year to cater for the costs of using German highways. Consequently, it's possible that many firms in the industry will struggle to make a profit as a result of this increase.

The scale of the increase is substantial. "I am unsure whether Germany is aware of the potential impact this could have on their own economy and the rest of Europe", said Krzysztof Babiński, the owner of a logistics company from Pomerania, in an interview with DW. The reform has been met with criticism from the German carrier industry, given 85 percent of goods are transported by trucks within the country.

However, this toll increase is expected to generate an additional $33.8 billion in budget revenues for Germany from 2024 through 2027. These funds are planned to be allocated towards infrastructure development. Austria is also considering a similar legislative change, planning to gradually introduce fee hikes.