Germany's transport minister has announced a motorway toll increase will go ahead from next year, affecting all trucks passing through the country. The country's counties have reached agreement to increase the German Maut (toll) in 2009 by an average of 50%. German transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee says: "I'm glad that the local transport ministers have followed my suggestion to increase the Maut charges from 1 January. This way we can invest an additional €1bn into the transport infrastructure."
He adds: "I will put €600m earned from the Maut back into the German trucking industry to strengthen its competitiveness." Germany's road haulage association, the Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BGL), is particularly upset with the scale of the increase - between 50 and 95% depending on emissions ratings.
The increase for a Euro-3 truck is €0.07 per kilometre, bringing the total to €0.20 per kilometre. It adds that the increased costs must and will be passed on to the customer.
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