edition 3/2000 hvf – in concrete...

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HVF – in concrete terms

The Heavy Vehicle Fee/HVF:Background – Fees – Recommendations – Alternatives

Edition 3/2000

www.customs.admin.ch

zoll_lsva_beil_e_ba 15.05.2000 11:40 Uhr Seite 1

EDITORIAL

No question – the in-troduction of the HVFis for the affected

parties and the Governmenta demanding and complexproject. This may be illus-trated with three figures:around 52000 trucks and30000 trailers will be affected by the fee in Swit-zerland. In addition, around20000 foreign trucks crossthe Swiss border daily.80 customs offices have tobe equipped with DSRC-antenna, and 100 with HVFclearance terminals

HVF 2001: Looking for a smoothimplementation

The people of Switzerland has approved the introduction ofa Heavy Vehicle Fee (HVF). The collection of this new fee which will be the first of this type in the world will start

in January 2001. The task is now to make its implementation as smooth, efficient and as unbureaucratic as possible, for boththe Government and the other parties concerned.To meet the challenge, some 100 professionals from the centralGovernment, the cantons and the respective private sectors, as well as traffic planners and engineers are working on this pro-gram. Given the large volume of traffic which is generated in the inland and the amount of transit traffic, there is a call forinnovative approaches and solutions. Discrimination or prefer-ential treatment of either the foreign or the domestic transportfirms must be avoided.This brochure summarizes the present status (March 2000) of thepreparation and implementation of this fee. Its main objective is to assist the concerned parties in the transition phase, to facili-tate implementation of the HVF.

Wishing you a good journey. Swiss Customs.

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Editorial

HVF in brief/Content

The fees

Role of the Customs offices

Vehicle owners from Switzerland

Vehicle ownersfrom abroad

Fee collection – Swiss vehicles

Fee collection – foreign vehicles

Recommendations for vehicle owners

Compatible with the EUTime to plan and to act

Through flat rates or,in emergencies, manually

Exceptions and special regulations

Further information


THE FEES

How to calculate the fee

The principles as well as the broaderframework for fee calculation are defined in the legal framework

(Swiss constitution, HVF Law and ordi-nances): The fee burdens heavy vehicleswith a total weight above 3.5 tons, with exceptions, according to the principleof liability (driving more leads to higherfees). Fee collection is based on the principle ofself-declaration. This means that the owners of the vehicles and, in the case of

foreign vehicles, the drivers are respon-sible for their declarations as well as for the proper functioning of the equip-ment (e.g. on-board units for the regis-tration of data).The HVF for vehicles, used for transpor-ting goods, is calculated on the basis of the kilometers driven, the maximumweight of the vehicle permitted as well as the emission class of the trucks. The principles of calculation can be ex-plained with the following four examples:

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About the costs of the HVF

•Some vehicles (e.g. coaches) are charged at the basis of flat rates see page 14•How to estimate the costs of the fee for a truck fleet Internet: www.zoll.admin.ch

(Steuern+Abgaben/LSVA; there, you will find a web-page in English)

18 t

18 t12 t

25 t12 t

22 t 8 t

*) = Tariff per ton and kilometre (tkm)Level 1 = Emission category 1

(corresponding to EURO 0)Level 2 = Emission category 2

(corresponding to EURO I)Level 3 = Emission category 3

(corresponding to EURO II/III)

** Relevant weight = max. permittedweight according to the vehicle registra-tion documents; in case of trailers andother combined vehicles, the total of theweights are added.(+) Separately matriculated artics: netweight articulated lorry and relevantweight of the trailer respectively.

*** In the future (from 2001),the national weight limit forvehicles will be 34 tons.

1,42 x 300 x truck and trailer x 34 t***144.84

37 tons***

Level of tariff in Rp.* Km driven in Relevant weight** Fee1 2 3 Switzerland truck and trailer in SFr.

1,68 x 300 x artic (+) x 30 t 151.20

1,68 x 300 x truck and trailer x 30 t 151.20

2,00 x 300 x without trailer x 18t 108.–

Relevant Weight for the HVFThe relevant weight for the HVF is determined at the basis of the lowest value of the following options:• total weight of the truck plus total weight of the trailer (in case of articulated lorries: net weight

lorry plus total weight of the trailer), or• total weight of the carrier, or• national weight limit


ROLE OF THE CUSTOMS OFFICES

Microwave antenna(so-called DSRCbeacons) are

installed in 80 bordercrossings, and HVF clear-ance terminals in 100 Customs offices. Theunits are linked to the central information (computing) system

Border crossings play an importantrole in the implementation of the HVF. Before leaving Switzer-

land, foreign vehicles must pay the fee, based on the tons and kilometersdriven in Switzerland (tkm). In the case of domestic vehicles, the changein the status of the on-board unit for automatic fee registration will bechecked with each border crossing.All this leads to significant investmentsin technical infrastructure and equip-ment in some 100 Customs offices.The Swiss Customs Authority (SCA)has considerable know-how and experience to implement operationaland data processing projects nation-wide. A good example is the new EDPsupported process for the clearance of goods and vehicles at the border.While the relative share of customsduties on the incomes of SCA isdecreasing, the SCA collects alreadyaround 16 billion Swiss Francs in the form of fees and taxes (e.g. value-added tax, mineral oil tax, tobaccotax, or vehicle taxes). All this has leadto the decision of the Swiss Govern-ment to charge the SCA with thecollection of the HVF.

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How the Swiss Customs became involved


The road use data (kilometers,tons; tkm) of the vehicles regis-tered in Switzerland is recorded

by an electronic OBU. This unit is con-nected to the tachograph and regis-ters relevant data automatically. Thismeans that, in the future, all heavytrucks which are subject to the HVF willhave to be equipped with such a registration device. Installation must be completed by 30November 2000. From 1 November2000, road admission of new vehicleswill require an OBU. Installation has to be carried out by an authorizedworkshop. Because the installation requires the replacement of seals, onlyworkshops which are registered for

the installation of tachographs can be-come authorized for OBU installation.A micro-wave radio connection is needed to register changes in the sta-tus of the OBU (inland/abroad) and,hereby, to initiate the mileage registra-tion device at border crossings. The same technology (Dedicated Short-Range Communication / DSRC) isused for control purposes on the Swissroad network. International Standardsare applied.A GPS antenna serves to control thestatus of the OBU (inland/abroad) andto register crossings of the border, in case of motorail service. It can alsobe used to check the accuracy of the tachograph. The OBU displays information aboutits status to outside the vehicle (small lamps), and this allows, besideDSRC checks, to make visual checkson the proper functioning of the de-vices.For the declaration of the trailers, the following alternatives are available:chipcards, a selection menu in theOBU, and the possibility to insert infor-mation manually. Inputs are only possible when the vehicle is not mov-ing.

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The installation of an On-Board Unit (OBU) is compulsory

VEHICLE OWNERS FROM SWITZERLAND

What the OBU is expected to do ...and how a trailer

is registered

Chipcard readerStatus Display

Buttons for manual inputs

Display:OBU o.k.

DisplayButton for switching the status at border crossings


100 Customs offices at the Swiss Border will beequipped with HVF clear-ance terminals

Data registration withID-card when cros-sing Swiss borders

For foreign trucks driving very oftenwithin or on transit through Switzerland, the installation of an

OBU is recommended (see page 6).If this is not possible the fee is regis-tered by using an identification card at the special terminals for HVFclearance.Upon entering Switzerland for thefirst time, data relevant for the calcu-lation of the HVF are registered in the central information (computing)system, and an ID card for the con-cerned vehicle is handed to the driver.With each entry to Switzerland, thedriver inserts this card into the chipcardreader at the clearance terminal and activates, hereby, the data whichare stored in the system. This infor-mation has, then, to be complemen-ted, through manual insertion, withthe following data: actual mileage onthe tachograph, data about the trailer, and the route which the driverplans to travel (individually selected;or predefined by the Customs, e.g. direct transit Basel to Chiasso). The driver receives a receipt in two copieswhich he/she will have to completewith the new (actual) mileage and his/her signature when leaving the coun-try. Cash payments can be depositeddirectly in the Customs offices, and

the Customs will check the declareddata randomly at border crossings.For vehicles without an OBU, changesin the status of the trailer can only be made in so-called controlled envi-ronments (e.g. in Duty Free stores, in Inland Customs Offices).The clearance terminals are installedin 100 Customs offices. Handling of the terminals is easy, as well for first-time users, and is based on a simpledialogue structure on the terminalscreen.

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On-Board Unit (OBU) – or Terminal for Clearance

VEHICLE OWNERS FROM ABROAD


Data is transmitted tothe Information System (IS) of the

Swiss Customs

The Cantons provide the SwissCustoms Authority (SCA) withsubstantial support. They collect

the HVF of all vehicles which have to be assessed on the basis of flat rates(see page 14), and with regard to the other vehicles which are assessedon the basis of their performance,they record and up-date basic vehicledata and transmit it to the central information system of the SCA. ThisInformation System (IS) is the core of HVF collection, as it contains all in-formation relevant for registration,control and billing. The relevant period for fee collectionis the calendar month. Owners of vehicles which are subject to theHVF have to read the data (of the previous month) at the beginning of

each calendar month from the OBUsto a chipcard. The files have, then, to be transmitted to the SCA either bychipcards (per mail) or electronically(per modem, Internet). The fleet own-ers can use the data also for the management of their truck fleets.At the SCA, the data (declaration ofthe vehicle owners) is fed into the Information System (IS) where it be-comes subject to plausibility tests. The checked and, if necessary, cor-rected data will then form the basis for the calculation of the fee and thebilling. The fee is due 60 days afterthe end of the registration period, and the bills have to be paid within30 days.

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From data to billing

FEE COLLECTION – SWISS VEHICLES

Swiss Customs Authority

ModemInternet

Ordinary MailRecorded Data

TruckVehicle Owner


Possible for foreign vehicle owners as well:efficient border cros-

sings with an OBU. The bea-cons (on the roof of the terminal) register the datafrom the OBU

Declaration with ID-card at the ClearanceTerminal when enter-

ing the country

Foreign fleet owners and driverswho have decided to equip their trucks with OBUs, will save

time at border crossings. This may be a major advantage in an economywhere business becomes more andmore «just-in-time». The installationof the OBU has to follow the same rules as in the case of the domestic ve-hicles (see page 6). With an OBU,stop-overs at clearance terminals orfilling out declaration forms when leaving the country are not necessary.With each border crossing, the data is transmitted from the OBU throughthe DSRC system to the central In-formation System, and this forms thebasis for the periodic billing. A pre-condition is, however, that the fleetowner has a HVF account with theSwiss Customs Office with the neces-sary security deposit.Still quite comfortable, but neverthe-less more time-consuming, is the procedure which is described on page7. In this case, the fee is calculated on the basis of the declaration of mile-age driven when leaving the country.The fee can be paid either in cash, by gas station (fuel) credit cards orthrough an account with the SCA.In case of cash payments, the fee fora pre-defined route can be paid already when entering Switzerland.

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Two good alternatives

FEE COLLECTION – FOREIGN VEHICLES


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VEHICLE OWNERS FROM SWITZERLAND

The main questions forthe fleet owners refer to composition of

the fleet, logistics, and the installation of the OBU

The implementation of a new fee, nationwide, that covers theentire Swiss road network has

implications for those concerned, inparticular the ones who have todeclare and to pay. The Swiss authori-ties, in collaboration with the privatesector and engineers have found somesolutions to ease the burden.As mentioned above, all trucks, artics,etc., of over 3.5 tons, or which cancarry trailers of this weight, have tobe equipped with an OBU. The feewill be based on actual performance(road use in terms of mileage, tons)and emissions. The following questionsmay be relevant for vehicle owners:• What is the impact of the HVF on

the different areas of logistics (i.e.depending on internal costs, type ofvehicle, capacity, efficiency, etc.)?

• Calculation of transport costs forthe existing fleet: see Internet homepage www.zoll.admin.ch/Steuern+Abgaben/LSVA (there,you will find a web-page in English).An interactive form is displayed on this website. If there is no Inter-net connection, the calculation aspresented in the example on page 4may be used as an example.

• For travels on routes for which therewill be, in the near future, sufficientand comfortable capacity for railtransport (in particular for unaccom-panied combi traffic UKV or fornorth-south/south-north transit routes), the question will be: Couldentrainment be cheaper in terms of time, personnel and other costs,than transport by road?

• Installation of the OBU: Installationhas to be carried out by an autho-rized workshop. Since early 2000,the OBUs can be ordered from the SCA. Following a decision of theSwiss Parliament, the units whichcost around SFr. 1300.– (per piece)will be provided to vehicle ownersfree of cost till 2004. Installationcosts are in the order of SFr. 500.–and have to be beard by the vehicleowners. Installation of the OBUshas to be completed till the 15 De-cember 2000.

• Trailers: Is a trailer chipcard availablefor each trailer which is used in thefleet?

• What is the best way to transmitmonthly data to the SCA: by mailingthe chipcards or via PC/Internet?

• How is staff training organized? Is external support needed?

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Inform yourself and plan in time


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VEHICLE OWNERS FROM ABROAD

Logistic considerations,including advantagesand disadvantages of

different modes of payment,have to be made as early as possible: Do I use gasstation (fuel) cards – or: doI cross Switzerland by railor by road?

In 2001, Switzerland will implementa new type of fee which will becharged over the entire road network

across the whole country. • Particularly on the north-south and

south-north transit routes wherethe capacity for rail transport will beconsiderably increased, the moregeneral question will be whether theoption to cross Switzerland by rail, including unaccompanied combitraffic (see page 15), is cheaperthan driving.

The two alternatives given to the foreign fleet owners – voluntary instal-lation of an OBU as it will becomestandard for Swiss trucks, or ID-cardswith stops at the clearance terminals– raise the following questions:• Do you drive regularly through/

within Switzerland? In this case, theinstallation of an OBU, to the sameconditions as for the Swiss truckholders, could be more advanta-geous (see page 10), especially,when comparing the costs for OBUinstallation with the time savings at border crossings.

• If the installation of an OBU is notconsidered a suitable alternative:

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Inform yourself and plan in time

– Do you use gas station (fuel) cardsfor payments?

– If not: do you want to pay the HVFin cash at border crossings, or doyou prefer to open a debit accountwith the Swiss Customs?


COMPATIBLE WITH THE EU

The HVF is well bal-anced, takes into account the interests

of the EU and does not discriminate neither Swissnor foreign trucks

The HVF is an elementof a puzzle of meas-ures which should en-

courage to shift heavy vehicle traffic from the roadto the railway system

In several public votes (among othersabout the HVF), the Swiss peoplehas clearly voted for an environmen-

tally friendly transport policy. Prefe-rence is given to shifting heavy vehicletraffic from the roads to the railwaytracks.• Referring to foreign policy, Switzer-

land will sign bilateral agreementsin which Switzerland will be obligedto gradually open its roads for trucks

up to 40 tons. This is only acceptableto the Swiss majority if it is balancedwith fiscal counter measures.

• A tax which would charge only thetransit north-south and/or south-north would, however, not be ac-ceptable for the EU since it would primarily burden the EU transportoperators. Moreover, east-west traffic would be favored. Thus, thetask was to conceptualize a fee that does not discriminate either theEU or the Swiss fleet operators.

• With the introduction of the emis-sion dependent tariffs (fee catego-ries 1 to 3, according to emissionparameters, see page 4), an elementwas included which was welcomedby the EU and which responds tothe need for environmental protec-tion.

• Legislation responds to the policy tostrengthen the railway system.

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Fee is conform with Europe

Financingof PublicTransport(FINOEV)

Rail2000NEAT

Protectionof the Alps

HVF

AlpineTransit Toll(ATT)

EU/CHbilateral


TIME TO PLAN AND TO ACT

The timetable of the HVF

Those who plan and implement the essen-tial ahead of time,

will have less problemsTime is relative, and even for

those who plan it may run short.Many people affected by the

HVF, who have now studied its impactand their obligations may believe that there is still plenty of time to act.For the team which manages the program, however, the workplan is already considered to be very tight.For all parties, however, one date mustbe kept in mind: the HVF will becollected from 1 January 2001. It isrecommended to make full use of the remaining time.On the institutional and organiza-tional side, project implementationstarted already 1999, and the systemwill be fully operational in 2000. The OBUs are produced in series andcan be ordered from the SCA. Installations at the Customs offices atthe border (DSRC antenna, clearanceterminals) and the Information Systemare tested to become operational. Inparallel with the development of tech-nologies where concrete results areexpected to be realistic, the legal basisis established (ordinances, guidelines). New positions have been granted tothe SCA to enhance capacity for imple-mentation of the HVF. Staff training is the next point on the agenda.For those who will be subject tothe HVF, the priority is to address thelogistics aspects and questions (see pages 11, 12) and to use the remaining time efficiently.

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Not everyone has the same amount of time left

Ordering of the OBU

Installation of the OBU

Hiringtrainingof staff

IDCard

HVFis implemented

Vehicle/Fleet owner

Project Organization Team

2000 1.1.2001


Flat rates will be appliedfor coaches. Foreigntransport bus operators

can choose the fee periodto be charged

The flat rate (FHVF) will be appliedprimarily for coaches. The yearlyrates are the following:

SFr. 1600.– for vehicles between 3.5and 8.5 tons; SFr. 2400.– for vehiclesbetween 8.5 and 18 tons; and SFr. 3200.– for vehicles above 18 tons.Vehicle holders from Switzerland have to deposit the fee at the begin-ning of a year at the Cantonal RoadTraffic Inspection offices. Applicationsfor reimbursements are possible forvehicles traveling outside Switzerland.

Alternative to be consideredOwners of foreign vehicles can choosebetween paying the fee as an advanceon a monthly or on a yearly basis, either for 1 to 30 successive days orfor 10 days throughout the year to be chosen freely. The fee will be paidat the Customs offices.Flat rates are also applied to someother vehicles over 3.5 tons such as mobile homes, caravans or heavycars (all SFr. 650.– per year).

Domestic vehicles not subject toinstallation of an OBU receive alog book from the Cantonal

Road Traffic Inspection Offices and areequipped with an electronic tag. Domestic vehicles with an OBU will beprovided with a registration form, to be prepared for cases in which theOBU would not be functioning pro-perly. Date and mileage would have tobe noted from the tachograph, andborder crossings confirmed by the Cus-toms Authorities. Defect OBUs haveto be repaired or replaced instantly.In case of emergencies such as a malfunctioning of clearance terminals,forms will be applied.

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Flat Rates for Coaches

THROUGH FLAT RATES OR, IN EMERGENCIES, MANUALLY

Logbooks and Forms


Unaccompanied combitraffic (UKV) with a sufficient number

of terminals, container train stations and partly in-ternational shuttle opera-tions offers a true alterna-tive to the road or to the«moving road» for the domestic and foreign trans-port companies

The following – Swiss and foreign– vehicles are excepted from thefee:

• Military vehicles – either with military or with civil number plates– with a M+ sticker

• Police vehicles, vehicles of oil fire/spill/chemical pollution brigades,and ambulances

• Vehicles, transporting people on thebasis of a license

• Agricultural vehicles with greennumber plates

• Vehicles with Swiss one-day numberplates

• Vehicles with Swiss dealer numberplates

• Vehicles of driving schools whichare used exclusively for this purposeand which are matriculated in a registered driving school

• Veteran vehicles which are regis-tered in the vehicle certificate assuch

• Vehicles with electric propulsion• Caravans and trailers for transpor-

ting goods of showmen and cir-cuses

• Caterpillar vehicles, and• Transport axles (one-axle vehicles)

Special Regulations

For the following vehicles and typesof transports there are special regulations:

• Travels in unaccompanied combinedtraffic.Reimbursements are planned for vehicles owners which carry out travels in unaccompanied combitraffic (UKV) road/rail or road/ship.This is valid for containers with a minimum size of 5.5 x 2.1 meters(or 18 x 7 feet).Assessment of vehicles using UKVwill be the same as with «normal»vehicles, which means that they have to install an OBU or to registerat the HVF clearance terminals atborder crossings. Since the transport distance to andfrom the UKV terminals to the

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Exceptions

EXCEPTIONS AND SPECIAL REGULATIONS

border are not always easy to check,reimbursement will be made of a distance of approximately 40 kilo-meters. The following amounts areapplied:– for containers and trailers from

artics between 5.5 and 6.1 meters(or 18 to 20 feet): SFr. 20.–

– containers and trailers from articsabove 6.1 meters (or 20 feet): SFr. 25.–

Reimbursements have to be claimedat the SCA.

• Transport of logs/raw woodOwners of vehicles suitable for trans-porting logs/wood, used to trans-port logs or industry/energy or left-over wood, can claim a reimburse-ment of SFr. 1.30.– per m3 woodtransported. Reimbursements haveto be claimed at the SCA.

• Transport of unpacked milk and oflivestock from agriculture.In the case of tank trucks for trans-porting milk or of vehicles for the transport of livestock which areused exclusively for agricultural purposes, the fee is 75% of the rateslisted on page 4. This special re-gulation does not apply to vehicleswhich transport horses.


FURTHER INFORMATION

Even with the new task(HVF) the Swiss Customs will do their

best to offer you a«smooth» passage at theborder

Federal Customs Administration, Gutenbergstrasse 50, CH-3003 Bern

E-Mail: [email protected]: http://www.customs.admin.ch/steuern+abgaben/lsva

Hotline:Division HVF Tel. ++41 31/323 70 95

For questions relating to border crossing or to order copies of this brochure:

District Directorate Tel. Fax E-MailDistrict Directorate I, 4010 Basel 061/287 11 11 061/287 15 42 [email protected] Directorate II, 8201 Schaffhausen 052/633 11 11 052/633 11 22 [email protected] Directorate III, 1211 Genève 022/747 72 72 022/747 72 73 [email protected] Directorate IV, 6901 Lugano 091/910 48 11 091/923 14 15 [email protected]

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For further questions about the HVF do not hesitate to contact:

Impressum/Editor:Swiss Customs Authority (SCA)Available from:The offices listed beside, in German,French, Italian and EnglishText, Editing, Layout: Roger GauderonGraphics:Peter Villiger, WorbPhotos:Bernard Nicod/BBLSets, Prints: gdz AG ZürichPrepared:This brochure has been elaborated in collaboration with the specialists and translation services ofthe SCACopyright:Second EditionMay 2000, by SCA

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edition 3/2000 hvf – in concrete...

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