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How does the system function? << Back
In contrast to the Eurovignette, the system developed by Toll Collect calculates and collects the road toll based on the exact number of kilometres travelled on a motorway. This is different from the vignette system. The satellite-supported free-flow system ensures that toll collection does not interfere with the flow of traffic. In contrast to conventional systems, Toll Collect requires no speed limits, traffic stops, or restriction to prescribed traffic lanes.
The toll system, which is a dual system, offers the benefits of two log-on options: automatic log-on via On-Board Unit and manual log-on at toll station terminals or over the Internet
The system of\ automatic log-on is based on an innovative combination of mobile telecommunications technology (GSM) and the satellite-based GPS (Global Positioning System). The main element of the automatic log-on system is the On-Board Unit or OBU, which uses satellite signals to determine the truck's position and distance travelled, automatically calculates the amount of toll, and transmits this information the Toll Collect computer centre.
As an alternative, Toll Collect offers the option of manual log-on at a toll station terminal or over the Internet. This type of log-on is particularly suited to trucks that seldom use German motorways, such as foreign drivers and companies.
What are the options for booking the toll?
The easiest way for you to participate in the toll collection system is automatic log-on. This is done by the On-Board Unit, the so-called "OBU", which, to the greatest extent, books and calculates the toll for you. First you register your company and your vehicles with Toll Collect. Then you receive a vehicle card containing the most important data about your vehicle. With this card, you can schedule an appointment with an authorized Toll Collect Service Partner to install the On-Board Unit.
The OBU determines the route travelled with the aid of GPS satellite signals and other positioning sensors, calculates the toll fees based on the vehicle data and tariff parameters that have been entered, and transmits this information to the Toll Collect computer centre by mobile telecommunications.
The alternative to the automatic system is manual log-on. This is recommended mainly for truck drivers and freight companies that seldom use German motorways.
Does the Toll Collect system also support toll systems in other countries?
The Toll Collect system is designed to provide the technical prerequisites for supporting other toll systems as well.
What are toll-free network links?
For users logging-on in the manual system, toll-free network links make it easier to book a direct route. Instead of specifying toll roads only, the recommended route includes toll-free roads. Toll-free network links specify, for example, isolated motorways (isolated networks) in combination with the main toll road network. These network links can be used free of charge.
What do I do if I lose my vehicle card?
Please report the loss, damage, or theft of your vehicle card to Toll Collect immediately. Your old card will be automatically blocked and you will receive a replacement card for a fee. Billing will be done according to the payment method selected at registration.
Is my tractor unit toll-liable when driving solo without a trailer or semitrailer?
If your tractor unit has a gross vehicle weight of at least 12 t, then it is toll-liable. If it is under 12 t it is exempt.
How does the On-Board Unit, the so-called "OBU" function?
Using GPS satellite signals, the On-Board Unit (OBU) pinpoints the position of the vehicle and continuously compares this information with the roadmap data stored in the unit. If the vehicle is not travelling on a motorway, the position is not shown on the electronic roadmap. When the vehicle enters a motorway, the system automatically detects this as a toll road segment. The OBU calculates the charges based on the distance travelled, the number of axles and the vehicle's emission category. This information is relayed to the Toll Collect computing centre and a monthly statement is sent to the user.
What does an On-Board Unit cost?
The On-Board Unit is provided by Toll Collect free of charge and remains the property of Toll Collect GmbH.
The user bears the cost of
- installation of the On-Board Unit
- de-installation on termination of the business arrangement
- change of vehicle registration (where necessary) and change of toll-relevant vehicle data
- journey times to and from the service centre and waiting times in the scope of the above work, and also in response to any technically related written inspection requests from Toll Collect or the German Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG).
The widespread network of Service Partners, combined with an OBU installation time of no more than four hours creates the requirements to keep the cost of installation as low as possible.
"TC toll free" is displayed on my On-Board Unit.
The "TC toll free" message is not a error. It is always displayed when the user is travelling on a route with no toll requirement. The message is sometimes displayed with a time lag, i.e. when the vehicle leaves the motorway it takes approx. 500 m until "TC toll free" appears. Similarly, it could take a little while before "TC toll free" disappears when joining a motorway.
Are the trucks positioned only with GPS under the automatic system?
Additional positioning sensors (dead reckoning with directional gyro and speedometer signals) are used to support the GPS positioning by the On-Board Unit. This process is independent of the GPS positioning. The results of the two processes are continuously matched against each other.
This further improves the identification of toll road segments. It even allows the system to function without GPS for a short time.
What do I do if my On-Board Unit malfunctions?
If your On-Board Unit should malfunction during the trip, you must log on manually at the next opportunity. This can be done at one of the toll station terminals located at service stations, rest stops, or border crossings or, by your transport company office via the Internet. In your own interests, you should contact a Toll Collect Service Partner as soon as possible to repair the On-Board Unit.
What do I do if my On-Board Unit is stolen or is rendered unusable by an accident?
If your On-Board Unit is stolen or rendered unusable by an accident, you or your company should send a written loss report to the Toll Collect-Service-Center immediately or report the loss by phone and provide the master PIN number. Toll Collect will immediately deactivate the stolen On-Board Unit so it cannot be misused. This procedure is for your security.
What happens when my truck gets a new number plate?
If you change the official number plate on a vehicle equipped with an OBU, a Service Partner must record the new data on the On-Board Unit. Toll Collect will send you a new vehicle card with the change in information on its own initiative
How can I log on over the Internet?
You must register your company with Toll Collect as a prerequisite for manual log-on. You will receive your user ID, a password, and a master PIN number.
You begin your Internet log-on at the log-on point on the Toll Collect homepage, www.toll-collect.de. First enter your user ID and password. You will also have to enter your master PIN number for the first log-on.
The further procedure is similar to logging on at a toll station terminal: type in your vehicle data or select a vehicle stored on a list and indicate the starting point and destination of your trip. The shortest possible route over the toll road network will be automatically determined. You can accept this or change it by inputting intermediate points. You can modify the route until it meets your requirements. You can store frequently travelled routes as standard routes for your convenience. If you are in agreement with the route that has been determined, log it on and you will receive a log-on number. Please keep this number with you during the trip to facilitate enforcement and in case it is necessary to cancel part of the trip at a toll station terminal.
What does internet log-in mean?
The internet log-in is the personal ID of your choice which you need to access the Internet Reservation System (IRS). As soon as you have specified your internet log-in in the IRS, you will be able to access the IRS only with your correct internet log-in and your password (which you are also free to choose).
What rules do I have to observe when choosing my internet log-in?
The internet log-in must have between 8 and 20 characters, at least one of which must be a letter. Symbols and umlauts are not valid. The system does not allow any other entries. Avoid using simple passwords, such as birthdays, town names or first names, as far as possible. Please note: the internet log-in must not be the same as the password.
What rules do I have to observe when choosing my password?
The password must contain at least 8 characters and must be no longer than 20 characters. The password must include at least one letter and one numeral. Symbols and umlauts are not valid. The system does not allow any other entries. Avoid using simple passwords, such as birthdays, town names or first names, as far as possible. Please note: your internet log-in and password must not be identical.
What should I do if I forget my password?
Click on the ?Forgotten your password?? link on the IRS homepage (www.maut.toll-collect.de). After you have entered your user ID (user number) the password will be automatically sent to the e-mail address specified in the IRS. If you do not want your password to be sent by e-mail please contact the Internet Reservations Support department. You can have your account reset so that you can enter a new password.
What should I do if my account is blocked?
Your account will be blocked if you enter an incorrect password five times. In this case, please contact the internet Reservations Support department. They will reset your account to its status before initial log-in. Then, log onto the IRS via the “Initial log-in“ link. You will need your user number and the master PIN.
How far in advance can I reserve routes via the internet?
You can reserve routes via the internet up to three days before beginning your journey.
Can I reserve routes via the internet for non-registered vehicles?
It is possible to make reservations for non-registered trucks. During the reservation process select ?Enter?. You will need to enter the country ID, the official license plate, the permissible total weight, the number of axles and the emission category.
Can I register a vehicle in the Internet Reservation System?
It is only possible to register vehicles in writing using the appropriate form. To do this, use the ?Vehicle registration? form at www.toll-collect.de. Send the completed and signed form to the address given.
I would like to type in the start and destination for my route. What do I have to bear in mind?
You can also type the start and the destination of your route directly into the route selection fields. Please ensure that they are entered correctly. Information on correct entries can be found under www.mauttabelle.de
I cannot make a booking for a registered vehicle. What should I do?
It is sometimes not possible to make a booking for a vehicle via vehicle selection if it is still going through the Toll Collect registration process. If this is the case please enter the vehicle ID manually. In order to do this enter the vehicle data in the vehicle selection screen by clicking on ?Enter?.
How do I log on at a toll station terminal?
You can log on manually at the toll station terminals near the on-rampst to motorways. Terminals with the "Toll Collect" sign can be seen at rest stops and petrol stations in Germany and along the border in neighboring countries. It is possible to log on in German, English, French, and Polish.
The log-on procedure at the terminal is similar to buying a ticket for public transportation. Simply enter all relevant vehicle data, starting time, starting point and destination. The toll station terminal will then calculate the shortest route within the toll road network. You can accept the proposed route or choose an alternative route by entering intermediate waypoints.
If you are in agreement with the route, confirm this information and select the desired method of payment. After payment, you will obtain a log-on receipt, which entitles you to travel on the selected toll road. Your receipt contains:
- the vehicle data
- the route booked
- the amount of toll
- a 16-digit log-on number
- the period of validity
It is not necessary to register with Toll Collect to log on at a tol station terminal. However, as a registered user, you can accelerate this process by inserting your vehicle card. The vehicle data it contains will be recorded for the log-on.
Can I delete routes I have booked using the manual system?
Journeys that have not been started yet can be cancelled on the Internet or at any toll station terminal. Routes can also be changed by cancelling them and repeating the log-on procedure. Please note that only the entire route can be cancelled via the Internet log-on system. Partial route cancellations must be transacted at a toll station terminal.
On the Internet, select the "Cancellation" function, enter the route to be cancelled, and confirm the information. Only complete routes can be cancelled. Partial route cancellations are not possible on the Internet. The toll system log-on will be voided and the log-on receipt and number will be invalid. The excess toll amount will be credited to your account or refunded via the original payment method.
If you have already begun the trip, you can cancel untraveled portion of the trip at a toll station terminal along the booked route. The route not yet travelled is calculated from the location of the toll station terminal where you are making the cancellation to the destination on the chosen route.
Do to so, choose the "Cancel" function and insert the log-on receipt or enter the log-on number. The toll for the route not yet travelled will be refunded. If the toll is paid in cash, the user is issued a receipt that can be used at the cash desk for a refund. If the journey is cancelled at an outdoor terminal, the excess amount will be refunded in euro coins. If the toll was paid with a card, simply insert the card into terminal, and the specified amount will be refunded via the original means of payment.
Trips can no longer be cancelled after the log-on receipt's period of validity has expired. However, you can still apply for a refund from BAG. To do so, you must prove that it was not possible to seek a refund earlier and you must file your request for a refund with BAG on the proper BAG form within two months of expiration of the log-on receipt or the Internet log-on. You can access the form on the Internet at www.bag.bund.de or request it from BAG (headquarters or branch office).
Note: The only way to rebook is to cancel the old booking and log on a new route.
How can manually booked routes be cancelled?
Routes booked via the Internet log-on system can be cancelled (full cancellation) on the Internet or at a toll-station terminal before the start of the period of validity. Once the period of validity has started, route segments that have not yet been driven can be cancelled only at a toll-station terminal. The toll-station terminal must be on the booked route.
Do I have to cancel at the same terminal that I made the original booking?
When you make a full cancellation, you can use any terminal to cancel. If you wish to make a part cancellation, you may only use the terminals on the booked route.
I want to cancel a journey for which I had paid cash at an indoor toll station terminal. How much time do I have to be refunded the cash desk?
After a cancellation at a toll station terminal you have 35 minutes to go to the cash desk and be refunded.
What happens if I lose my log-on receipt and would like to make a cancellation?
You can make a cancellation without the log-on receipt. However, what you must have is the log-on number, the truck data and the start time of the booked trip.
Can I cancel a booked journey once the period of validity has expired?
Once the period of validity of the log-on receipt has expired, you can obtain a refund only on application to the Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG). To obtain a refund, you must be able to demonstrate that you were unable to make the claim prior to the expiry. The refund claim must be made to BAG on the BAG form provided for the purpose within two months of expiry of the period of validity of the log-on receipt or of the Internet log-on. You can download the form from the Internet at www.bag.bund.de.
I wanted to cancel a booking at a toll station terminal but this failed. What can I do?
A cancellation may be denied as the result of entry errors or brief technical problems at a toll station terminal. In cases like this, please notify Toll Collect using the call button on the toll station terminal. If there was a technical fault, the amount will be refunded once you have submitted the form ?Challenge to cancellation/log-on receipt?. The form is available on the internet at www.toll-collect.de under the heading ?Forms?.
How high are the toll fees?
The toll amount is based on the truck´s emission category and number of axles, as well as on the length of the toll route. Further information is available here.
Is the toll subject to Value Added Tax?
The toll is a public-sector levy and is therefore not subject to Value Added Tax. (However, if a transport company invoices his customers for the cost of the toll, the amount invoiced is subject to Value Added Tax.)
Does Toll Collect send me a bill?
The toll statement for registered users is sent on a monthly basis and includes an optional itemised journey list.
Why is Toll Collect's invoice called a toll statement?
This is a matter of legal precision: The toll is a charge levied on you by the Federal Republic of Germany for the use of German motorways. The task of Toll Collect is simply to calculate the amount you have to pay, to collect your payment and to pass it on to the German government. Toll Collect therefore informs you of the accrued and payable toll charges, but does not issue actual "invoices" or "payment demands" in the legal sense.
I receive my toll statements by e-mail and have had difficulty receiving and opening the files. What could be the cause of this problem?
The files containing your toll statement and itemised journey list are sent as attachments in two separate e-mails. To protect your data, these files are encrypted. For this purpose, Toll Collect uses the standard WINZip program with a password composed as follows: TC*Toll statement number* (e.g. TC*6000012345*). The toll statement number appears in the subject line of the e-mail and changes with each invoice.
If you are using a firewall or antivirus program, be sure to configure the e-mail filter so that encrypted file attachments are allowed.
The size of the file containing the itemised journey list will vary depending on the number of journeys listed. For example, if the amount of monthly data for each vehicle is 12KB, the file size for 15 vehicles will be 180KB. Please keep this in mind and ensure that your mailbox capacity is configured to receive files of this size. You will find information on how to work with CSV files here.
I have noticed some minor discrepancies when checking my toll statement. How have they come about?
The toll is calculated on a segment by segment basis, rounded up or down to two decimal places. The amounts for the individual route segments are subsequently totalled. If the totals are seen in isolation, the rounded figures may be slightly different from the arithmetically accurate toll rates per kilometre.
The parameters used in collecting the toll are currently the number of axles and the emissions class, together with the number of standardised route segments driven. The route segments are taken from the German government?s toll-rate and route model. The lengths of the individual segments have been defined by the German Federal Highways Agency (BASt), and can be inspected online at www.mauttabelle.de.
Any discrepancies occurring on the toll statement can be attributed to the process of rounding the toll charges per segment to two decimal places for accounting purposes. The differences resulting from rounding will cancel each other out on long journeys ? i.e. those which include a large number of individual route segments.
To illustrate this effect, we show two examples here . The first part shows an extract from the itemised journey list, while the second illustrates how the toll amount shown on your toll statement is calculated.
Where a transport company has a large fleet, can a combined invoice be issued for all vehicles, or will individual invoices be generated ?
Invoicing will be per registered user. The invoices will be broken down to indicate the amounts due for each vehicle.
The kilometre reading on the tachometer does not exactly match the route information on the itemised journey list. What's the reason for this?
The kilometre figures can differ from the readings on the truck tachometers, because toll accounting is based on standardised route segments and not on the actual driven kilometres. The individual route segments have been surveyed and determined by the German government. You can view the relevant data at www.mauttabelle.de.
After logging-on, I was routed over a federal road. Do I have to pay for using this type of road?
The system used one of the few authorised toll-free network links to book a more direct route. There is no charge for using these road segments.
Does the log-on receipt show the toll-free network links when I log-on at a toll station terminal or on the Internet?
Toll-free network links are automatically included in the routing and marked with "nicht BAB" (not a federal motorway) on the log-on receipt.
When I log-on as a registered user with a vehicle card, are the toll-free network links identified on my toll statement or itemised journey list?
When you log-on manually at a toll station terminal, toll-free network links are not specifically identified on the toll statement. However, they are shown as entry/exit points or via points on the itemised journey list.
How does Toll Collect calculate the truck toll?
Using the toll table published by the Federal Office for Public Roadways as a basis, the toll is calculated for each route segment. This method is technically precise and commercially transparent. The price is calculated to the fourth decimal place and the amount is then mathematically rounded. Decimal figures ending in a number less than 5 are rounded down; figures ending in the number 5 or higher are rounded up. Afterwards, the individual segment prices are added to determine the total route price. This method was developed to ensure that all users pay the same price for a route segment, regardless of the total length of the route travelled..
Has this method been approved by government authorities?
Yes. Toll Collect is a service provider working on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany. The method of calculating the truck toll based on predefined route segments and the mathematical rounding process has been approved by the contracting authority.
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