Bundeskartellamt secures Toll Collect contracts (lorry toll) for further garages

Toll Collect GmbH (TC) has declared to the Bundeskartellamt that it would conclude service-partner contracts with further (approx. 200) independent garages for the fitting of on-board units (OBUs) for lorry toll collection. With this commitment the operator of the German lorry toll system, which was founded by DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Telekom and Cofiroute, took account of the Bundeskartellamt’s competition concerns regarding the choice of authorised garages only. Consequently, the Bundeskartellamt has decided not to initiate formal abuse proceedings. The Bundeskartellamt had investigated numerous complaints by lorry garages which had not been considered by TC in the process of awarding service contracts.

On the basis of its comprehensive investigations, the Bundeskartellamt has come to the conclusion that although TC is dominant as demander of garage capacities for fitting OBUs, it is under no obligation to conclude a service contract with each garage that fulfils the technical preconditions for properly fitting OBUs. After TC had at first almost exclusively considered those garages which were part of the garage network of a utility vehicle manufacturer, solely independent garages will now be awarded the additional contracts. The consideration of further garages will also improve the freight forwarders’ prospects of getting their vehicles equipped with OBUs before the start of the lorry toll system.