“Since the introduction of the new truck toll registration portal in Denmark, we have received numerous questions about its operation. It turns out that the system is not working properly, resulting in fines for hauliers. Our Danish partner estimates that approximately 4,000 fines have already been issued, with 300 already appealed,” reports the Dutch organization Transport in Nood.
According to the organization, the fines have been issued due to technical problems rather than mistakes made by carriers.
Transport in Nood also highlights issues with the manual purchase of tolls for single journeys.
“However, it should be noted that the portal automatically selects the shortest route, which does not always correspond to the route actually taken or the most appropriate one,” the organization adds.
As a result, drivers may end up paying for a journey on one route but travelling on another. The organization reminds carriers that they can manually adjust the selected route on the portal within 72 hours of making the transaction.
Appealing fines – process and key considerations
Transport in Nood emphasises that all fines issued for violations before 9 January—i.e., at the very start of the system’s operation—have been canceled. Appeals against fines can be submitted via the official Danish toll system website: https://vejafgifter.dk/en/objection/.
“We have seen everything from fines issued to hauliers who had already paid the toll (yet were still penalized) to cases where companies received fines for trucks they have not owned for several years. We’ve encountered a lot in our industry, but this is the worst we’ve seen,” says John Agervig Skovrup, head of the Danish hauliers’ organization ITD, commenting on the problems.
The Danish association also stressed that, even before the introduction of the new road toll system, it had repeatedly warned in consultation responses that errors leading to unjust fines needed to be addressed.
“It is well known that systemic errors occur when countries introduce and apply kilometre-based road taxes,” says Maria Feldberg, General Counsel at ITD. She underscores the importance of assessing the nature of an offence before imposing fines.
“A clear distinction must be made between deliberate fraud and human error. Unjust fines caused by system errors must be canceled. Failing to make this distinction will be even more unreasonable when the fine increases from 4,500 Danish kroner to 9,000 Danish kroner, as the government plans,” Feldberg added.
What to know before appealing a fine
- The fine is always issued to the registered owner (or user) of the truck, even if the owner was not the driver at the time of the alleged offence. If an appeal is submitted by someone other than the registered owner (or user), a power of attorney must be attached to the application.
- A fine can be appealed even if the truck has been sold since the fine was issued. However, it is crucial to adhere to the 60-day deadline from the date of issuance.