Information about the motorway toll law

Background on the motorway toll

On the 12th of April 2002 the "Gesetz zur Einführung von streckenbezogenen Gebühren für die Benutzung von Bundesautobahnen mit schweren Nutzfahrzeugen" (law on the introduction of distance-based tolls for the use of German motorways with heavy commercial vehicles) - in short: "motorway toll law" - has become effective. This forms the legal basis for the motorway toll ("Autobahn-Maut"), an additional toll which the transport industry will have to pay for the use of German motorways. The toll was introduced on 1st January 2005.

Following the decree about the toll amount passed by the Federal Government the toll for trucks exceeding the permissible maximum weight of 12 tons has been fixed at an average of 12.4 Cent for every kilometre driven on the motorway. The motorway toll is to be paid either automatically (with the help of a so called "On-Board Unit" to be installed in the vehicle), or manually (at toll terminals) or via Internet. Therefore the distance covered on the motorway is the basis for the toll.

The extra costs for the transport industry caused by the motorway toll are inevitably passed on to the customer and therefore result in an increase of the consumer prices.

Thus the motorway toll will burden the industry and consumers with additional costs of more than 3.4 billion Euros per year, for the benefit of the exchequer. The revenue is supposed to be used for the improvement of the traffic infrastructure.