Skip to main content

Belgium to implement road charging for trucks

A tax per kilometre is to be implemented for all lorries weighing over 3.5 tonnes throughout Belgium from 1 April 2016. The system will be based on satellite technology, using on board units (OBUs), which drivers will collect at a distribution point. The OBU will register the distance travelled by the vehicle and on which roads. Mileage data will be transmitted to a data centre and an invoice generated, which the driver will pay on returning the OBU. The rate of road pricing will vary depending on t
May 14, 2015 Read time: 1 min
A tax per kilometre is to be implemented for all lorries weighing over 3.5 tonnes throughout Belgium from 1 April 2016.  

The system will be based on satellite technology, using on board units (OBUs), which drivers will collect at a distribution point. The OBU will register the distance travelled by the vehicle and on which roads. Mileage data will be transmitted to a data centre and an invoice generated, which the driver will pay on returning the OBU.

The rate of road pricing will vary depending on the maximum permissible weight of the trucks, their Euro emission class and type of the road being used.

The charge will be applied to a road network including the current Eurovignette network, consisting of Belgium's highways, the orbital roads around the main cities, and a number of other important routes.

Related Content

  • Siemens installs truck parking information system
    June 5, 2015
    With the number of heavy goods vehicles on Germany’s roads growing, German automobile association ADAC reports that most truck drivers struggle to find parking up to six times a week. Another study finds there is already a shortfall of almost 11,000 truck parking spaces across the country’s autobahn network. However, new truck parking information system which provides real-time data on parking space occupancy at rest areas is now available to help drivers plan ahead and aim for a specific parking locatio
  • Combining OCR and LPR technology aids truck identification
    March 16, 2012
    Automatic reading of Department of Transport numbers can provide an effcient and reliable means for enhancing the saftey and securitiy of freight operations, argues vice president for cargo solutions at High Tech Services, Benjie Wells. A key element of port security is identification of trucks at entry points to freight terminals and handling points.
  • Fuel for Thought: The what, why and how of motoring taxation
    May 15, 2012
    The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has highlighted the dilemma facing many governments – motoring tax income set to fall even as traffic rises - in an analysis of the decline in the amount of revenue collect from fuel duty and VED (vehicle excise duty) in the UK. The collapse in income from motoring taxation will be caused by increasingly fuel efficient petrol and diesel cars, and the predicted large-scale take-up of electric vehicles.
  • Most Americans support usage fees to pay for transportation infrastructure
    April 29, 2016
    Nearly two-thirds of Americans would support the use of road-usage fee options such as vehicle miles travelled or mileage-based user fees to help fund transportation costs, according to a new America Thinks national public opinion survey conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of infrastructure firm HNTB Corporation. The survey, Transportation Mobility 2016, also found that close to 170 million Americans (69 per cent) agree priced managed lanes should be considered when making improvements to US highways.