The federal government's modernization package: traffic light parties want truck toll rates to be clear increase

With additional CO2 surcharges, the traffic light coalition already wants to reduce the truck toll ratesJanuary 1, 2024 almost double. This is part of a modernization package for climate protection and planning acceleration decided by the coalition committee, which is intended to simplify approval procedures for the expansion and maintenance of road and rail infrastructure. The additional revenue from the truck toll is intended to help cover the financial needs of the rail system, which run into the billions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

the traffic light coalition has agreed on a modernization package for climate protection and planning acceleration. With this package, the federal government wants to promote investments primarily in rail infrastructure, but also in roads, in climate protection, in energy supply and in digitization. The cross-modal synchronization of the transport, energy and digital transition required by the DSLV Bundesverband Spedition und Logistik is shown here for the first time. The federal government is planning billions in investments in road and rail freight transport that is as CO2-free as possible. Overall, the package is structurally balanced, but at the same time the implementation will result in considerable additional burdens for the logistics industry. The waterway system is not taken into account.

Amendment of the Climate Protection Act

In the future, compliance with the climate protection targets and their monitoring should take place across sectors and be transferred to a multi-year overall account. In this way, missed targets in the transport sector can in principle be compensated for by other sectors such as industry or agriculture. This is intended to avoid restrictive immediate measures, which in extreme cases can lead to regulatory interventions such as speed limits or traffic bans. However, this is only on the condition that the sectors as a whole approach Germany's CO2 reduction targets. The transport sector, which has so far not been able to achieve the specified climate targets, mainly due to a lack of available alternative technologies and a lack of opportunities to shift to rail, is thus given some flexibility.

Acceleration of planning and approval procedures

The "expansion and modernization of the rail network" should remain the "central building block of a modern and efficient infrastructure". With a Traffic Approval Acceleration Act, an “overriding public interest” is to be established for rail projects that are classified as “priority needs” or “firmly planned” in the requirements plan. Prioritizing the acceleration of the planning and approval procedures solely in favor of rail is nevertheless off the table. The speed of the implementation of transport infrastructure projects is also to be increased for the road network.

144 road construction projects from the Federal Transport Routes Plan to eliminate bottlenecks that cause traffic jams and to create connections and cross connections are to be prioritised. In future road construction projects, the focus should be on maintaining and rehabilitating the motorway bridges in particular. Replacement new buildings that require an increase in capacity with additional lanes should also be included in the renovation measures, for which the time-consuming planning approval and approval procedures should then be eliminated.

The provision of areas for renewable energies along motorways and railway lines (e.g. for the expansion of large-scale photovoltaic systems and wind turbines) should also become part of the accelerated process.

Infrastructure financing and the CO2 component of the truck toll

The CO2 component of the future truck toll is expected to be unexpectedly high as early as January 1, 2024. In addition to the existing infrastructure and air pollution costs, road freight transport is to be charged an additional 200 euros per tonne of CO2 emitted. In doing so, the federal government is exhausting the maximum permissible burden under European law. Overall, this is expected to generate additional income of 6 to 8 billion euros. The truck toll limit is also to be lowered to vehicle sizes of up to 3.5 tons. As a result, the toll charges for the operation of conventionally operated diesel trucks will be almost doubled compared to today (as a comparison: according to the Fuels & Energy trade association, a CO2 price of 200 euros per tonne would mean a surcharge of around 0.50 euros per liter equivalent to diesel). Zero-emission trucks such as battery-electric and hydrogen trucks are to be exempted from this by the end of 2025. From 2026, these vehicles should pay 25 percent of the then applicable toll rate. With the entry into force of a new toll law, the current 'road-financed-road' financing cycle is to be opened up, at least in part. The traffic light parties had already announced this in their coalition agreement. In order to cover Deutsche Bahn's investment needs of 45 billion euros by 2027, "proportional income from the CO2 surcharge of the truck toll [...] should be used predominantly for investments in rail". These funds are to flow into the rail infrastructure, digitization and vehicle technology. The need-based expansion of terminals for combined transport is also to be promoted, even if the extent of the expansion is not included in the current requirements plan. The traffic light parties are sticking to the modal split share of rail of 25 percent by 2030.

According to the DSLV, the increase in the truck toll will primarily increase consumer prices for goods, but will have neither medium-term effects on the modal split in freight transport nor promote the decarbonization of the transport sector. The DSLV demands that a redistribution of funds in favor of rail should not lead to underfunding of the road infrastructure, which is also affected by increases in construction and material costs. Due to the skyrocketing toll burden, companies in the forwarding and transport sector initially tie up considerable financial resources, which are withdrawn from the investment budgets for the acquisition of alternatively powered truck fleets. The draft of an amendment to the Toll Act with the toll rates planned for 2024 is to be sent to the associations in the second quarter of 2023 for their comments. The DSLV is pushing for an early publication so that the forwarding companies and their customers can plan with certainty about the expected logistics costs. The decisive factor will be whether the massively increasing toll costs are based on the classification for EURO

VI trucks can be passed on to the shipping industry until alternative drives are actually available and can be used across the board. However, this is unlikely to happen before 2025. In any case, the intended climate control effect of the truck toll towards alternative drives or rail will not be able to materialize for the time being. For the time being, the truck toll will remain a lucrative collection model for the state.

transformation grants

On the other hand, road freight traffic should benefit from the development of basic public infrastructure networks for battery-electric and hydrogen trucks along federal motorways (by 2025). Germany intends to work towards Europe-wide implementation as part of the decisions on an EU regulation on the development of infrastructure for alternative fuels (AFIR). According to this, there should be a charging station for battery electric vehicles every 60 km along the European transport corridors and a hydrogen filling station every 140 km.

The existing subsidy programs for the purchase of light and heavy trucks with alternative, climate-friendly drives, which also include funding for tank and charging infrastructure in depots, depots and hubs, are to be extended until 2028. In the future, the fleet renewal program for heavy commercial vehicles is to be designed purely as a component subsidy. The purchase of CO2-reducing additional equipment for trailers and semi-trailers should be promoted.

Increased use of the potential of green fuels

The federal government wants to develop incentive structures and a roadmap for ramping up the production and use of advanced biogenic fuels and e-fuels. The modernization package makes no statement on the urgent issue of recognizing green fuels in the future European CO2 fleet limits for heavy trucks.

Further potential for climate protection in transport

In order to be able to supply commercial areas with green electricity more easily, the scope of action of the municipalities for the designation and provision of wind energy areas is to be expanded. Self-consumption from wind energy should also be made possible. In the future, additional shore power systems in the seaports of Hamburg and Bremen and along the Rhine are to be funded. Airports should be supported in providing a regenerative ground power supply, especially on apron positions. In addition, the aviation research program (LuFo) is to be further developed and research into the development of climate-neutral drives by 2026 in order to reduce the climate impact of air traffic by 2030.

Avoiding professional paths through digitization

The federal government is planning to leverage further potential for mobile working and home office by creating a nationwide supply of fiber optics and the latest mobile communications standard. At the same time, she wants to "increase the attractiveness of using the home office for business and employees" by "adjusting the legal framework". The discussion about the legally binding offer for employers to work from home seems to be over revived.