Farmers, contractors and companies renting out machinery only occasionally use the German roads for their vehicles. That's why they were previously exempted from the toll. However, this only applies conditionally from 1 July onwards, when, in addition to the federal motorways, all federal roads will have a toll for vehicles and vehicle combinations with a total weight of 7.5 tons or more. The German Farmers Association (DBV), together with the Federal Association of Contractors (BLU) and the Federal Association of Machinery Companies (BMR) are demanding that, as before, agricultural transports will be exempt from these tolls.
Top speed
According to a number of experts, farmers will no longer be exempt from tolls if they use the roads for their own purposes with agricultural vehicles with a design maximum speed of more than 40 km/h. In order to restore the exemption for the farmers, even if they use toll roads with vehicles like these, the DBV, together with the BLU and the BMR, calls for an amendment to the federal highway toll law. The opportunity to do so is provided by the Fifth Amendment Act to the Federal Highway Exemption Act. Since this Amendment Act will only come into law at January 1, 2019, the agricultural associations demand a period of grace until then. From an individual standpoint, they might take to capping the maximum design speed of their vehicles at 40 km/h.
According to the existing federal highway toll law, "within business-related traffic situations, agricultural vehicles with a maximum design speed of maximum 40 km/h" are not subject to tolls. However, the Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG) will no longer allow this toll exemption. Also, the toll exemption -according to the BAG- should be linked to the exemptions from motor vehicle taxes. The agricultural associations consider it necessary to make corrections.
Source: DBV