Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN) is urging Belgium to delay the introduction of the kilometre charge. The transport organisation is said to have received persistent reports of complaints from members who are not ready for the charge to be introduced.
On 1 April, Belgium’s three Regions will introduce a kilometre charge for lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. Lorries operating in Belgium are required to have a Sattelic on-board unit (OBU). However, numerous complaints have been received regarding the OBU. For instance, Sattelic is unable to deliver the units on time, and the OBU is still too unreliable. The OBUs regularly malfunction or the positioning system fails. This could lead to incorrect calculations of toll charges.
TLN
compiled a list of problems and sent it in a letter to ViaPass, the organisation set up by the three regions to organise and monitor the road pricing. TLN does not expect the problems to be solved in time and therefore hopes for a postponement.
ViaPass is not worried
ViaPass is aware of some problems regarding the OBU. To Belgian news site De Redactie, the organisation informs that truck drivers have indeed reported boxes that did not accurately determine the truck's location. This registered that they were driving on a road subject to tolls, when in fact they were driving on a parallel road without tolls. ViaPass, however, argues that the positioning is indeed precise. The OBU's screen would not be clear enough, causing truck drivers to worry unfairly.
Teething problems insurmountable
To the Belgian website, Johan Schoups of ViaPass does admit that there are teething problems. "As with any new system. If you work with such a system, it goes according to the laws of large numbers. Suppose that in 98 per cent of cases everything goes well, then you have problems with 2 per cent, which converts to about 4,000 problems."
Editorial LogistiekProfs
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