1 Lack of information about heavy-duty transports
Routes partially or entirely closed to heavy-duty transports
Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure does not know which routes are particularly affected by heavy-duty transports, since it has not obtained comprehensive information about the number of heavy-duty transports requiring permission, their total weights, weights per axle and routes used. In contravention of agreements with the federal states, the latter do not report to the Federal Government the heavy-duty transports permitted. Hence, the Federal Ministry is not able to purposefully allocate the budget funds necessary especially for overloaded bridges.
Heavy-duty transports on public roads with weights of more than 40 tons require a permit from the federal state in question. The state checks whether the roads chosen and the bridges on it are sufficiently resilient and safe. To perform such checks, the states have since 2006 used an IT system developed jointly with the Federal Government. The Federal Ministry had agreed with the states that the latter were to inform it by means of that IT system about the permits granted and about the date about total weights, weights per axle and route. For that purpose, the IT system was to be developed further. However, the Federal Ministry has so far not asked the states to communicate these data. Furthermore, the Federal Government and the states have not yet developed the system with all the intended modules.
Background
For years, the number of heavy-duty transports – mainly those with total weights in excess of 40 tons – has strongly increased. Above all, it causes stress and damage to bridges. In the past years, it was therefore increasingly necessary to partly or wholly close routes to heavy-duty transports.
Objectives
See: BRH 2016 - Annual Report