Saturday 1st January 2005

Mandatory tolls were introduced for heavy trucks using the German autobahn system. Trucks paid between €0.09 and €0.14 per kilometre depending on their emission levels and number of axles. Operated by the private company, Toll Collect GmbH, the toll-collection system used vehicle-mounted transponders and roadway-mounted sensors installed throughout Germany. The new toll policy, however, resulted in a significant increase in heavy-truck traffic on regular highways (Bundesstrassen and Landstrassen) as drivers changed routes to avoid paying tolls.