From January 1, trucks over 12 tonnes traveling in Germany will have to pay a tax of between 9 and 14 cents per kilometer. Transmitters, called OBU (On Board Unit), attached to the trucks, will make it possible to follow a heavy vehicle by satellite and thus automatically bill its tolls. This new ultramodern system, managed by Toll Collect, the Franco-German consortium bringing together Daimler Benz (45%), Deutsche Telekom (45%) and Cofiroute (10%), will finally start after 16 months behind schedule. Transportation companies expect major disruption on January 2. Offenders face fines of up to 20.000 euros.

 Le Figaro, December 31, 2004 (summary)  Antoine Blouet http://www.enviro2b.com/