In Brief

• The Czech Ministry of Transport plans to increase road tolls for trucks over 3.5 tons starting from July next year.
• For vehicles over 12 tons, the rate per kilometer will rise by 18.5% on highways and by 26.6% on first-class roads.
• The changes are expected to bring billions of crowns to the state annually, which will finance road maintenance.
• Carriers warn that higher costs will be passed on to customers and consumers.

New Rates from July Next Year

The Czech Ministry of Transport intends to raise road tolls for trucks weighing over 3.5 tons (Ministerstvo dopravy chce zvýšit mýtné pro nákladní auta. Má to přiblížit ceny sousedním státům – iROZHLAS). The changes do not apply to buses. In the largest group, namely trucks over 12 tons, the rate per kilometer will increase by 18.5% on highways and by 26.6% on first-class roads. According to information from iROZHLAS, the new regulations will come into effect from July next year (Zvýšené mýtné pocítí dopravce, zákazník i spotřebitel, říká tajemník Sdružení automobilových dopravců – iROZHLAS).

Billions for the Budget

The ministry justifies this step by the need to finance the maintenance and expansion of road infrastructure and the aim of bringing Czech rates closer to those in neighboring countries.

Carriers: Costs Will Be Passed to Customers

Representatives of the transport industry warn that companies will not absorb the higher tolls. They believe that the costs will be passed on to contractors and ultimately to consumers (Zvýšení mýta má státu přinést miliardy. Dopravci varují, že náklady zaplatí zákazníci – ekonomickydenik.cz). Vojtěch Hromíř, the general secretary of the Association of Road Carriers ČESMAD BOHEMIA, claims that the increase will first be felt by carriers, then by clients, and finally by consumers.

Significance for Polish Companies

For Polish carriers using transit through the Czech Republic, this means an increase in travel costs on routes. When calculating freight rates on routes through the Czech Republic, the new rates should be taken into account, especially on highway sections.