Since the turn of the year, the Danish Road Traffic Authority has cancelled 3,240 fines that were otherwise sent to hauliers for non-payment of the new kilometre-based road tax. This is revealed by a freedom of information request obtained by FemernBusiness.
This comes after months of massive criticism from the industry and thousands of complaints from both Danish and foreign hauliers, who have experienced receiving fines despite correct payment or due to technical errors in the equipment. The many cancellations occur either with support in objections or because the Danish Road Traffic Authority itself has identified errors in case processing.
A green tax with growing pains
The kilometre-based road tax was introduced on 1 January 2025 as part of the green transition of the transport sector. The tax applies to lorries over 12 tonnes and is calculated based on the vehicle's environmental class and the number of kilometres driven on state and municipal roads. The aim is both to reduce CO₂ emissions and to provide funding for infrastructure projects.
Payment is made via an electronic box in the lorry - or manually via a digital ticket. Number plate scanners register whether payment has been made, and if not, it triggers a fine. Initially 4,500 kroner per day - but from 1 July the fine rate doubles to 9,000 kroner.
The system is managed by Sund & Bælt, which handles the registrations, while the Danish Road Traffic Authority issues the fines. The interface between technology and governmental responsibility has been a central point of criticism. Several hauliers and industry organisations have pointed out that boxes with temporary errors or app failures should not result in fines if the fee has otherwise been attempted to be paid in good faith.
Over 13,000 complaints
From 1 January to 17 June, the Danish Road Traffic Authority issued 35,311 fines. 23,883 of them to foreign vehicles, and 11,428 to Danish lorries. In the same period, 13,855 complaints have been submitted - many still unresolved.
One of the companies affected early on is Sax-Trans in Sakskøbing. Director Peter Flensted Rasmussen already reported in January about six fines he believed were unjustified. The number later grew to eight - and all eight have since been waived. The company has also received a ninth fine, which according to the director was justified and therefore has not been appealed.
Industry players warn
Several industry players have tried to bring solutions to the table.
At DTL - Danish Hauliers - the recommendation is that members should systematically complain when they experience unfair fines. Only by documenting the errors can the authorities, according to DTL, continuously improve the system.
At ITD - International Transport Denmark - they have taken it a step further. Here they believe that the sanction model itself is unreasonable - and illegal. The set fine rate does not take into account the cause or nature of the offence. Therefore, earlier this year, ITD filed a complaint with the EU Commission against the Danish state.
- There is an urgent need for a fairer model, where serious and repeated violations are sanctioned harshly, while trivialities and technical errors do not incur the same penalty. This should be a given in a society governed by the rule of law, says John Agervig Skovrup, chairman of ITD.
The Minister of Transport has previously opened up the possibility of waiving fines in cases where the system has failed or hauliers have acted in good faith. This was mentioned during a consultation in the Folketing, where the Danish Democrats' transport spokesperson, Kenneth Fredslund, also called for a temporary halt to the issuance of fines as long as complaints are piling up.
Tightened rules from 1 July
The 3,240 annulled fines do not change the fact that the rules were tightened on 1 July. Here, both a doubling of the fine rate came into effect and a new rule that makes it possible to deny foreign lorries passage over bridges and tunnels if they have unpaid fines that have been adjudicated. Drivers must be able to document payment on the spot - for example, with an instant transfer.
When the new rules were introduced, the authorities estimated that there would be fine revenues of 58.7 million kroner for the entire year. That figure was reached after a few months, and the fine revenues are now over 160 million kroner.
