The DACH region is the highest-density freight corridor in Europe. It’s also one of the most administratively complex for carriers operating across country borders, because Germany, Austria, and Switzerland each have distinct toll systems, tax frameworks, and regulatory requirements — operating under the common umbrella of EU transport regulations.
German Maut: What Carriers Need to Know in 2026
German Maut (highway toll) applies to vehicles from 3.5t technically permissible gross weight on federal motorways and many federal roads (the threshold was lowered from 7.5t to 3.5t on 1 July 2024). Since December 2023, the toll has also been differentiated by CO₂ emission class, making the effective per-km rate higher for older, less efficient vehicles (source: Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität). Key compliance requirements:
- On-board unit (OBU) or manual declaration before each journey
- CO₂ class certification affects per-km rate — lower-emission vehicles qualify for the lowest rate
- Toll records must be retained for GoBD purposes (10 years)
- Toll Collect API integration with your TMS provides automatic mileage tracking and cost allocation per load
Austrian GO-Box and Swiss LSVA
Austria’s GO-Box system uses a microwave-based OBU for automatic toll deduction on motorways and expressways (vehicles ≥3.5t) (ASFINAG). Switzerland’s LSVA (Leistungsabhängige Schwerverkehrsabgabe) is a distance- and weight-based fee applying to all vehicles over 3.5t (BAZG). Both require separate OBUs and separate billing management — unless your TMS integrates all three into a unified toll cost view.
GoBD: The Bookkeeping Compliance Requirement Every German Carrier Must Meet
GoBD (Grundsätze zur ordnungsmäßigen Führung und Aufbewahrung von Büchern, Aufzeichnungen und Unterlagen in elektronischer Form sowie zum Datenzugriff) requires that all business records — invoices, settlements, tachograph records, toll records — be retained in unalterable, audit-ready electronic format for 10 years. The German Finanzamt can request these records at any time. Non-compliant carriers face bookkeeping fines and potential back-tax assessments (source: German Federal Ministry of Finance).
Managing It All in One System
RouteWerk handles Toll Collect API integration for German Maut (including CO₂ surcharge tracking), Austrian GO-Box and Swiss LSVA support, GoBD-compliant 10-year archive, EU 561/tachograph monitoring, and French Crit’Air and Dutch BTW compliance — all in a single platform built for DACH-region operations. No separate compliance software required.
