In times of the EU Enlargement Germany has been faced with steadily increasing freight and transit traffic, due to its geographical position in the middle of Europe. The German expressway system has an overall length of approximately 25.000 kilometers (both directions) and therewith is the longest system in Europe. Overall 1.2 million trucks use the German expressways and cover a total distance of 22.7 trillion kilometers every year. The preservation and further expansion of this system is an important leverage of development for Germany and Europe as a whole. The costs for road construction and maintenance have been rising directly proportional to the transit traffic. Since this burden was only carried by Germany's public, namely by the German citizens' taxes, the Federal Government launched a distance-based toll for all heavy goods vehicles with a total weight of 12 tons or more, driving on German expressways.
This so-called "LKW Maut" came into effect on January 1st, 2005 and is a watershed in financing. For the first time the costs for maintenance are allocated to those who predominantly cause the abrasion. Politics call this a better and fairer financing of the infrastructure. One heavy truck stresses the streets 60.000-times more than a car. In addition this toll system leads to a higher transport efficiency, which can be seen in the fact that empty return trips went back from over ten to nine percent in 2005, respectively. Thereby it also has a positive effect on sustainability. The fee, each truck has to pay, is defined in accordance to the number of axles, the relating emissions class and the distance travelled. Political background of the toll is to shift freight traffic from the roads to railroad and waterways. Toll Collect GmbH has been responsible for developing a toll system in the name of the Federal Republic of Germany which united GPS technology for satellite-based positioning and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). Together with vehicle-installed On-Board Units the system is able to determine the exact position of the trucks and to calculate the toll amount automatically without any need for stops because of personal log-ons for the intended route.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Road Tolls
2.1 Beginning of toll taking
2.2 Types and aims of road tolling
3 Truck Toll in Germany
3.1 Award procedure and introduction process
3.2 Judicial aspects for toll collection
3.3 Economic aspects of Toll Collect GmbH
3.4 General Survey about the Toll Collect System
3.4.1 Toll amount
3.4.2 Payment methods
3.4.3 Interoperability
4 Technical system/implementation
4.1 Automatic log-on
4.1.1 On-Board Unit (OBU)
4.1.2 Global Positioning System (GPS)
4.1.3 Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM)
4.1.4 DSRC System
4.2 Manual log-on
4.2.1 Log-on at terminal
4.2.2 Log-on via internet
4.2.3 Cancellations
5 Ways of enforcement
6 Conclusion and thoughts for the future
Objectives and Core Topics
This study paper analyzes the German distance-based toll system for heavy goods vehicles, examining its technical implementation, economic significance, and enforcement mechanisms. The central research objective is to explore how the Toll Collect system integrates advanced technologies like GPS and GSM to ensure efficient, free-flow toll collection while facilitating sustainable mobility and future interoperability within Europe.
- The historical context and strategic aims of road tolling systems.
- Technical architecture including On-Board Units (OBU), GPS, and DSRC technologies.
- Operational procedures for both automatic and manual log-on methods.
- Enforcement strategies ranging from stationary control bridges to mobile units.
- Future-oriented developments and the potential for cross-border European interoperability.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.1.2 Functionality of the OBU
The OBU automatically commences once the ignition of a vehicle is turned on. Before a driver starts his journey he has to check the data stored in the OBU and must adjust it if the data has changed since last time. After having confirmed the data, the automatic log-on is finally activated for the given vehicle. [Cf. TCNI07, p. 12]
As already mentioned before the automatic log-on uses different positioning systems in order to have a maximum accuracy. The OBU is continuously being supplied with positioning data via GPS signals. Thus the OBU is able to recognize where the truck is located and constantly compares the position with the maps saved on the OBU. If the truck is not on an expressway the position cannot be assigned to the expressway map. Is it driving on an expressway it matches the saved map and therefore has to pay toll. Additional positioning sensors are applied in order to support the GPS positioning. This so-called "Linked positioning" controls vehicle movement and its direction using a gyroscope and signals of the speed indicator. Both systems are independent from each other. This implies that the results have to be matched all the time. Due to the linked positioning the whole system is able to overcome short GPS breakdowns. [Cf. TCO07]
The toll amount is calculated by the OBU, as mentioned in the introduction of this chapter, based on the length of the route and specific vehicle data. This data is saved on the OBU and transmitted to the data processing center of Toll Collect via GSM signals as soon as the toll amount has reached a defined sum or after a particular time. If the OBU is turned off before having the data transmitted, the OBU automatically catches this up after the next start. [Cf. TCOBU07]
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of the German expressway system and the necessity of implementing a distance-based toll for heavy goods vehicles to ensure fair infrastructure financing.
2 Road Tolls: Discusses the historical development of road tolling, differentiates between access-dependant and usage-dependant systems, and explains the modern aims of traffic management.
3 Truck Toll in Germany: Details the award and introduction process of the German toll system, its legal basis, economic structure, and the general operating principles of the Toll Collect system.
4 Technical system/implementation: Explains the technical infrastructure including the OBU, positioning systems like GPS, and communication standards like GSM and DSRC used for toll data transmission.
5 Ways of enforcement: Describes the multi-layered enforcement strategy, including automatic control bridges, mobile enforcement vehicles, and stationary checks to ensure compliance.
6 Conclusion and thoughts for the future: Summarizes the reliability of the system and looks ahead to future challenges, particularly regarding European-wide interoperability and new telematics services.
Keywords
Toll Collect, Road Toll, OBU, GPS, GSM, DSRC, Electronic Toll Collection, Free-Flow-System, Infrastructure, Logistics Management, Transportation, Enforcement, Interoperability, Telematics, Sustainability
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary purpose of the Toll Collect system?
The system was implemented to introduce a fair, distance-based toll for heavy goods vehicles on German motorways, ensuring those causing the most road abrasion contribute to infrastructure maintenance.
What are the core technical fields involved in the system?
The system relies primarily on satellite-based positioning via GPS, cellular communication via GSM, and infrared-based short-range communication (DSRC) for enforcement.
What is the main goal of the research?
The study explores how technical components function together to enable a reliable, automated, and non-discriminatory tolling solution.
Which scientific methodology is primarily employed?
The paper utilizes a technical and institutional analysis, reviewing legal documentation, technical specifications, and system architecture to explain the operational model of Toll Collect.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
It provides a deep dive into the technical system, including log-on methods (automatic and manual), enforcement procedures, and the role of DSRC in future intelligent transportation systems.
What keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include OBU, DSRC, GPS, Toll Collect, Free-Flow-System, and Interoperability.
How is the toll amount calculated?
The calculation is based on the vehicle's emissions class, the number of axles, and the distance traveled on the toll-liable network.
What is the purpose of the DSRC system?
DSRC is used for close-range communication between vehicles and infrastructure to facilitate automated enforcement and to provide potential future services like hazard warnings.
How are toll violators identified?
Violators are detected through automated control bridges that use laser sensors and high-resolution cameras to verify if a vehicle has correctly logged its route.
- Quote paper
- Sebastian Wagner (Author), 2007, Technical System and Implementation of Toll Collect, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/112822
