Germany: New measures for mid-heavy trucks

On October 1, drivers of trucks that are under 7.5 tons gross vehicle weight have to check whether the built-in On-Board Unit (OBU) for toll collection is properly adjusted. When the vehicle starts, the OBU retrieves the weight. If the truck is en route without a trailer, then it should be “<7.5t” and confirm with “OK”.

If the vehicle is on the road with a trailer and thus obliged to pay toll, then the display confirms “>=7.5” then “OK”. Generally the display of the OBU should be checked for every ride, and the settings adjusted to the current journey. This concerns both the details regarding weight as well as the number of axles. The latter number is maintained until the next alteration.

Mid-heavy trucks of over 7.5 t are obliged to pay toll from October 1, 2015 onward. If rides are being carried out on the night of September 30 to October 1st (tonight), the ignition system is to be shut down at midnight, so the vehicle can restart. With the restart of the truck at 00:00 hours, the Led display will automatically line up and light up green. The weight will not be requested, but the driver does need to set the right number of axles and confirm with “OK”. The OBU collects the toll and the drive can be resumed immediately.

For OBUs in vehicles from 12 tons of gross vehicle weight and up, nothing changes in the way the device is operated. Like before, the driver needs to set the correct number of axles.

Source: www.toll-collect.de