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Enforcing the System
Page 12
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• Germany's autobahns were equipped with gantries set up for toll charging seven years ago when the German government made plans to charge all vehicles using the roads. Not surprisingly, this idea fell through, but the equipment remains and will be used to target HGVs.
These gantries use microwave technology which monitors trucks passing under them. DalmlerChrysler claims this works flawlessly, even during rush hour traffic.
If the truck has an OBU fitted, the gantry picks this up and determines whether the truck Is correctly registered and is "paying Its way". If the driver has bought a toll ticket this can also be established, as the toll booth relays all the Information supplied by the driver to a central control centre.
But if this information Indicates the driver has not paid to use the autobahn, photographs from the bridge are transmitted to a toll Inspector who will flag down the truck at the next rest area.
A friendly user-test will begin in June, which gives three months to tweak the system if any teething troubles occur.