By May 2023, hauliers operating zero-emissions trucks must be given discounts of at least 50% on road tolls.

The new Eurovignette law will help green trucking which will benefit the climate, air quality and hauliers. Also, the member states should work on its implementation immediately.

By May 2023, hauliers operating zero-emissions trucks — battery electric or hydrogen — must be given discounts of at least 50% on distance-based road tolls. Member states could opt to levy extra CO2-based charges on fossil fuel lorries instead, or implement both measures. With road tolls costing hauliers up to €25,000 a year per truck annually, switching to zero-emissions vehicles will cut their overheads considerably.

The new law also requires countries to apply air pollution charges for trucks from 2026. Today only four member states charge trucks for their air pollutants, and T&E said making these charges mandatory is a big step towards recovering the full costs of trucking’s impact on human health and the environment. Vans and minibuses will also need to be tolled based on their environmental performance from 2026.

From 2024, new time-based road charges for trucks, which are less fair than distance-based tolling, will be restricted to limited circumstances. If time-based charges remain on major highways after April 2024, they must be varied according to the truck’s CO2 emissions.

Trucks are responsible for 23% of the EU’s climate emissions from road transport and.