The new year brings change – let's seize opportunities together
Every new year brings changes. We face major economic and social challenges. In an ever-accelerating world, we need the courage and determination to actively seize opportunities. Trustworthy communication connects people and creates added value; therefore, our company philosophy is: the best possible service, optimal advice, and efficient logistics processes.
New toll rates came into effect in Germany at the start of the new year. Back in 2017, the federal government decided to extend the truck toll to the nearly 40,000 km of federal highways in July 2018 and to increase toll fees for motorways in January 2019. The truck toll fees include costs for air pollution, noise pollution, and infrastructure. Only electric vehicles are exempt, but these are still very rare in the transport and logistics sector, as electric drives were, until recently, at best a "fringe issue" for truck manufacturers.
This doubling of toll fees within just a few months unfortunately has an impact on freight costs. For a transport of over 300 km, 150 km of which is on a motorway and 100 km on federal highways, a modern 40-ton truck combination previously had to pay €20 in tolls. Since January 1, 2019, this has increased to €46 – more than double the cost. With an annual mileage of 120,000 km for this combination and a 80:20 split between motorways and federal highways, the annual toll burden has risen from €12,960 to €22,440.
The German Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association (DSLV) has warned of the consequences of the toll expansion. Since all transport companies will have to pass on the increased costs to their business partners, industrial and commercial enterprises face a significant rise in their transport costs within Germany, which they may ultimately have to pass on to consumers.
Furthermore, rising personnel and diesel costs (2018: plus 20%) are negatively impacting transport costs. Due to these external factors, we are also forced to implement a price increase averaging 8%, retroactive to January 1, 2019.
