For standardised toll collection

Since the introduction of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), transport companies that operate internationally can pay truck tolls in several European countries with just a single on-board unit and a single contract.

They can choose between different providers who collect truck tolls for EETS toll areas in at least four EU countries. The European Electronic Toll Service complements the national toll services offered in different countries.

The basis for this is EU Directive 2019/520. The Federal Logistics and Mobility Office has designated Toll Collect as the "main national service provider" in the "German Federal Trunk Road Toll Act (BFStrMG) Service Area".

For toll collection on motorways and main roads, the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office (BALM) makes Toll Collect's central toll collection service available to all authorised EETS providers in Germany.

This allows BALM to ensure standardised recognition and tariffing of the truck toll for all vehicles subject to toll. BALM can thus keep the costs of toll collection low on the complex toll road network in Germany, which covers more than 50,000 kilometres. Changes to the toll road network or to toll tariffs can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively because they are maintained in one place in the central toll system and then made available automatically and consistently to all providers

By pooling the toll data for all vehicles subject to toll in Germany in one place, data analyses are possible that can be used for traffic planning, for example. This means that toll data benefits society as a whole in terms of sustainable mobility and provides an impetus for digitisation in the transport sector.

EETS providers in Germany have been able to use the toll collection service since 2021, and use of the toll collection service will be mandatory by law from January 2026.

As a federal company, Toll Collect acts as a neutral and reliable partner for EETS providers in Germany. Toll Collect collects the truck toll for all vehicles subject to tolls in Germany. Changes to the tariffs and the toll road network are implemented centrally in the toll collection service and are then automatically and uniformly available to all providers.

For EETS providers, this removes the need for time-consuming maintenance in a separate toll system for Germany. Their operating costs are reduced, as is the operational risk. This also lowers the threshold for new EETS providers to enter the German market.

EETS providers transmit the journeys recorded by their customers' on-board units along with the vehicle and contract parameters required for tariffing to the toll collection service. The service determines whether routes subject to toll have been used and calculates the toll for these routes accordingly.

The amounts to be settled are then reported back to the EETS providers so that they can charge customers for the toll and pass this on to the federal government.

Information about EETS providers authorised in Germany and the legal framework can be found on the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office website.