Associations Do Not See Toll Increase for Brenner Route as a Solution

A letter from Bavaria’s Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder to the Federal Ministry of Transport suggests that increasing the truck toll in the form of a corridor toll could significantly relieve the Brenner route. Sabine Lehmann, Managing Director of the LBS – State Association of Bavarian Forwarders e.V., and Sebastian Lechner, Executive Board Member of the State Association of Bavarian Transport and Logistics Companies (LBT) e.V., explain why this assumption does not lead to the desired solution for the existing problems.

(Pressebox; Munich) The Brenner route is one of the most important European transport axes for goods and passenger traffic and plays a central role for Bavarian trade with Austria and Italy, as well as for the exchange of goods through the Italian seaports. In addition, numerous export-oriented industrial, trade, and logistics companies are located south of Munich and in the Bavarian Inn Valley, which are existentially dependent on smooth and affordable goods exchange.

Accordingly, discussions about additional financial burdens in this entire area must be conducted with great sensitivity and tact. The idea of solving the problems associated with alpine freight traffic on the Brenner route through toll increases is misleading. It is based on the false assumption that forwarding/logistics companies – by the way, from both sides of the pass – use this route solely for the cost advantages of the toll. The mere fact that the frequently mentioned alternative route goes through Switzerland poses a significant obstacle. Switzerland is not an EU member state. Consequently, complex customs procedures are required for transit journeys through the third country Switzerland, which are not necessary for purely intra-community transport (e.g., via the Brenner).

Must Be Considered in Context

The truck toll increase of up to 50 percent for the Inn Valley and Brenner route proposed by Prime Minister Söder must therefore be considered in the following context:

Toll rates cannot be freely set but are subject to the EU Road Charging Directive. Additionally, surcharges for environmental burdens cannot be imposed arbitrarily. Logistics companies have continuously invested in new and environmentally friendly fleets over the past 20 years. On the Brenner route, almost exclusively trucks with the most environmentally friendly emission class Euro VI are already in use. Therefore, the toll increase mentioned by Prime Minister Söder must necessarily comply with European law. The discussion about the revision of the EU Road Charging Directive is not yet concluded and should not be preempted.

In December 2021, a report from Tyrol was published, examining the alleged detour traffic over the Brenner route. This report must still be analyzed by the other involved parties before further conclusions can be drawn. This is especially true regarding the questions of what exactly can be counted as detour traffic and how high the proportion of trips that are actually detour traffic is.
A massive toll increase would not only affect perceived or actual detour traffic but also the economic locations in the Inn Valley region. These would be unilaterally and disproportionately burdened, which must be avoided if we do not want to permanently damage the economy of this region.

Do Not Burden the Pre- and Post-Transport to the Rolling Road in Wörgl

Furthermore, a toll increase must not lead to additional burdens on the pre- and post-transport on the road to the Rolling Road in Wörgl.
As Prime Minister Söder rightly points out, the current measures in Tyrol, namely the block clearance in Kufstein, the general truck night driving ban on the Inn Valley and Brenner route, as well as the sectoral driving ban for certain goods, are illegal under EU law and must be stopped, if necessary through an EU infringement procedure.

The discussion about a toll increase at this time and on this basis must not be conducted unilaterally without considering all measures from Tyrol that massively restrict the free movement of goods on this main European route in a comprehensive assessment.
The upgrading of the Brenner North approach by rail is significantly lagging behind the original schedules and must therefore be accelerated, including the necessary expansions and new constructions of transshipment facilities for combined rail/road transport.

Do Not Consider in Isolation from Tyrolean Restrictions

In this context, the toll discussion must not be viewed in isolation from the increasing Tyrolean transit restrictions.
“From the industry’s perspective, a comprehensive solution for alpine transit over the Brenner route, including a reliable timetable for the coming years, must finally be found,” demand LBS and LBT. Shifting more freight traffic to rail requires sufficient capacities on the rail. The expansion and new construction must be vigorously advanced, but it will also not happen “overnight.”

Photo: © Loginfo24 / Image Caption: Truck traffic on the Brenner Autobahn