Key points at a glance
- R-PASS in Alsace is scheduled to launch on 1 January 2027.
- Grand Est is also working on a regional HGV charge, planned for rollout at some point in 2027.
- The rules are expected to cover vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, regardless of where they are registered.
- Major routes are in scope, including the A31 linking Luxembourg with the Rhône valley.
- For international carriers, this means higher costs on additional routes through France.
Grand Est follows Alsace with its own HGV charge
Last year, the Collectivité européenne d’Alsace (CeA) approved the introduction of R-PASS. The distance-based charge is due to apply from 1 January 2027 on selected non-concession roads in Alsace.
A second region is now moving in the same direction. Grand Est has confirmed it is preparing its own distance-based charge for heavy vehicles. According to the regional authority, the scheme is also expected to be introduced in 2027 and would include sections of the A31.
No start date has been formally confirmed. While some reports point to an early 2027 launch, the region’s documents currently refer more broadly to implementation during 2027.
The A31 is a major north–south freight corridor
For international road freight, the most significant element is the planned inclusion of the A31.
The A31 links Luxembourg with Lorraine and the Rhône valley and forms part of one of Europe’s key north–south routes. It is heavily used by carriers from Germany, Poland, Romania, the Benelux countries and other EU states travelling toward France, Spain or Italy.
If the levy is introduced, operators using this corridor should expect additional charges — whether they are transiting France or making domestic deliveries.
What’s driving France’s regional toll approach
Both the CeA and Grand Est point to the same issue: high pressure on their road networks from international heavy traffic.
CeA argues that transit volumes on Alsace’s main routes have risen markedly in recent years. In particular, after Germany expanded its truck toll, more traffic has reportedly shifted onto the toll-free A35 as an alternative route. The authority says this has led to around 1,470 additional transit trucks per day on that corridor. Overall, it estimates that 51 percent of HGV traffic on the A35 and A36 is now linked to transit movements.
Grand Est also highlights the high share of international transport on roads managed by the region. The stated goal is to ensure heavy traffic contributes more to infrastructure costs and to secure funding for maintenance and modernisation of the road network.
Foreign operators will be in scope too
The measures would also apply to non-French operators.
As with R-PASS, the planned rules would make all goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes subject to the charge regardless of registration country. That would directly affect carriers from Germany, Poland, Romania and other EU member states.
Enforcement is expected to be electronic, similar to the Alsace model. For R-PASS, CeA is relying on satellite-based toll technology intended to integrate with existing European EETS systems. Whether Grand Est will adopt the same technical setup has not yet been officially confirmed.
France is turning to regional toll models
Taken together, the plans in Alsace and Grand Est suggest France is increasingly leaning on regional funding models for heavily used corridors. For logistics companies operating across borders, that increases the importance of factoring not only standard motorway fees, but also emerging regional charges into route planning and cost calculations.
