Kilometre Charging System in Belgium

[Conniff]

From April 1st 2016, all heavy goods vehicles of more than 3.5 tonnes must have a working On Board Unit (OBU) in Belgium.

 

An OBU is only required if the tractor unit has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of over 3.5 tonnes. The point of reference for the definition of the weight that needs to be registered in the system is the Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR).

 

This toll will be levied on motorways and a number of regional and municipal roads. The OBU must be switched on whenever you use a Belgian road. The system is based on the ‘user pays’ principle. This means that everyone pays a fair contribution for using the roads.

 

In order to ensure a smooth introduction and allow users enough time to get ready, Satellic is making the OBUs available to you from October 1st 2015. We just ask you to pay a deposit of €135 per OBU which will be reimbursed when you return the OBU undamaged.

 

Satellic will collect the toll on behalf of the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels-Capital regions.

 

How does the system work?

 

1 Every domestic or foreign heavy goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes on Belgian roads must have a working OBU from April 1st 2016.

 

2 The OBU detects where the vehicle is and which route it is following, via satellite signals.

 

3 The system adapts the road charge to the type of road.

 

4 The OBU calculates the toll to be paid. The tariffs depend on the maximum authorised vehicle weight, the Euro emission class and the type of road. The toll is calculated according to how many kilometres are driven and where.

 

5 The owner receives an overview of the amount to be paid. The amount due is paid to Satellic, which transfers the toll to the three Belgian regions according to the use of the road network. 6 Fixed, flexible and mobile checks across Belgium verify whether the heavy goods vehicles have a working OBU.

 

 

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[reallymadwoman]

It will be interesting to see how well this system works.

It's actually about time that the UK abolished road tax and used this sort of system instead so that charges are related to use, not just a fixed rate.

Incidentally, the roads in Belgium are rubbish, so I hope they use the money to do some repairs.