Freighters in Vienna: Protest against the threat of a truck toll increase!

Freighters in Vienna: Protest against the threat of a truck toll increase!

In Vienna, the freight workers' protest over the planned increase in the truck toll is in full swing. On Wednesday, around 60 trucks drove through the country road in an impressive convoy and handed over a list of demands to the Ministry of Transport. The demonstration led to a few minor traffic jams, but there were no major traffic disruptions, such as that crown reported.

The freighters gathered at the Großram car park on the A1 at 9:30 a.m. before setting off for the Ministry of Transport. “We all pay for it,” read some of the banners that participants carried. The trade association chairman Markus Fischer accepted the position paper and pointed out the impending consequences of the toll increase. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Peter Hanke was at the Council of Ministers and received no information about the protest.

Warnings about inflation and job losses

The transport industry has serious concerns: the increase in the truck toll could cost an additional 35 euros to every Austrian household. “If the costs cannot be passed on, jobs will be at risk,” warned the trade association for the freight transport industry. In the last two years, the toll had already increased by 21%, and a further increase of 10-13% is described as an “inflation hammer”, as by OTS reported.

The trade association is therefore calling for an immediate stop to toll increases. The situation is tense because toll rates have increased by around 30% since 2020, while personnel costs have increased by 26% since 2022. On average, the cost of a 40-tonne semitrailer truck in long-distance transport is 80,680 euros this year, and 91,930 euros are forecast for next year.

Rising transport costs and falling registrations

The freight forwarders criticize that their transport costs have increased by 27.5% in the last three years. This is increasingly becoming a problem for many companies. Many companies could face difficulties as the burden is passed on through higher toll costs. Austria is struggling with the highest truck toll costs in the EU and the situation is becoming increasingly untenable. A modern truck can only travel 94 km in Austria for 50 euros, while in neighboring countries such as Germany, Italy or Poland it goes much further.

New registrations of semitrailer tractors fell by 17 percent in the first eight months. This may be an additional sign of the industry's distress, but it could also be due to uncertainty in the economy. The members of the trade association are convinced that without appropriate measures, such as freezing toll tariffs at the 2025 level, the situation will continue to worsen.

The transportation industry is at a crossroads. The upcoming increase in the truck toll could not only have an impact on the costs of transport service providers, but also on entire households. It remains to be seen whether the Ministry of Transport will respond to the industry's demands in the coming weeks and what steps will be taken to defuse the tense conditions.