On 1 July, the network of toll roads will be extended. Toll operator Toll Collect states that the electronic devices in the vehicle can then no longer have the road network on board. The effort is too big. But then the route statement disappears from the display.
A look at the blog of the toll operator Toll Collect reveals the bewilderment of many OBU users. With the introduction of the extended toll road network, the operator is converting the decentralized toll calculation to a central billing. The OBU thus sends the driving data and the vehicle-specific properties to an external data center and no longer calculates the road toll itself.
The toll operator has been adjusting the OBU devices since October. The display then shows only the number of axles, the weight and the country in which the truck is traveling. The reason for the change is the extension of the toll on many federal highways. This extends the network from 15,000 kilometers to 52,000 kilometers. The tariff sections multiply accordingly from 9,000 to 140,000. The consequence is that a permanent updating of the terminals is no longer possible.
For those affected, this is a “huge joke,” as Rudi Schuck writes in his commentary. Because of the change, the devices are no longer able to display the amount of toll per tour or customer. In practice, however, it is often customary to note the amount of the toll directly on delivery of the goods on the delivery note. That will not be possible anymore.
Toll Collect points out that in such cases, carriers have to register in advance for online booking. It is then possible to adjust the driven toll distance manually. The booking, however, may not be completed then.
In the normal case, central toll collection calculations should be available within a maximum of 48 hours. These can then be viewed in the customer portal under the heading “Unbilled trips”. The drivers can allocate cost centers for the customers and tours. These can then be assigned to the individual customer. Users have to live with this fact and have to change their processes accordingly.
