Trucking Firms Seek Compensation for Failed Toll System

Following the German government's decision to cancel the contract for a troubled commercial truck toll, shipping companies want to recoup their costs from the consortium Toll Collect. Transportation Minister Manfred Stolpe on Tuesday scotched the contract after the high-tech toll system was delayed for months and failed to work properly. Now trucking firms want compensation from the consortium -- which includes German industrial stalwarts DaimlerChrysler and Deutsche Telekom. Heiner Rogge, who heads a trucking industry lobby, told the Freie Presse from Chemnitz that the cost alone for installing and de-installing Toll Collect's onboard computer units into trucks is estimated at around €70 million. Stolpe said the total price tag of the toll debacle will cost €6.5 billion.