Registration of vehicles for trade exemption now possible

Berlin, 13.03.2024

From 1 July 2024, the German Federal Trunk Road Toll Act (BFStrMG) also sets out a mandatory toll requirement for vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass (TPMLM) of more than 3.5 and less than 7.5 tonnes that are intended for or used for road haulage. Vehicles used by trade businesses are exempt from the toll under certain conditions. Whether the requirements for this are met depends on the specific journey and the goods being transported.

The trade exemption applies if the vehicle is driven by an employee of the tradesperson's business and if materials, equipment or machines are being transported that are necessary to carry out the services and work for the tradesperson's business, or if handcrafted goods are being transported that have been produced, processed or repaired in the tradesperson's own business.

The requirements for the trade exemption are met by all professions listed in Annexes A and B of the Trades and Crafts Code (Handwerksordnung) as well as by recognised training occupations in Germany in which the job profile is comparable to that of a skilled trade.

The trade exemption also applies to foreign skilled trade businesses.

On the Toll Collect website, trade businesses can report vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of more than 3.5 and less than 7.5 tonnes that are on the road and meet the requirements for the trade exemption. With this information, toll controls can be organised so that rejections and administrative proceedings are minimised.

For journeys that do not fulfil the requirements of the trade exemption, the toll can be booked and paid before the start of the journey in the Toll Collect app or on the Toll Collect website.

For vehicles belonging to trade businesses that do not predominantly travel under the conditions of the trade exemption, the installation of an on-board unit from Toll Collect or from a provider of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS provider) is recommended for convenient toll payments.

Toll Collect provides on-board units (windshield OBUs or DIN slot OBUs) for all vehicles over 3.5 and under 7.5 tonnes. The on-board units are installed in a service partner workshop. Companies should arrange an installation appointment with one of the 1,300 service partners as soon as possible.

With the introduction of the toll for the weight class over 3.5 tonnes technically permissible maximum laden mass, the toll rates for some vehicle classes will fall slightly from 1 July 2024.

The toll tariffs, the list of all service partners for OBU installation and information on tolls for vehicles with a technically permissible maximum laden mass of more than 3.5 tonnes and on the exemption for tradespeople can be found here on the website. Further information can be found at www.balm.bund.de.