{"id":410166,"date":"2026-04-21T18:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=70710"},"modified":"2026-04-21T18:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:48:17","slug":"dutch-truck-tax-relief-threatens-modal-shift-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=410166","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Dutch truck tax relief threatens modal shift chances\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The trucking industry is set for a tax break in the Netherlands. The Hague is planning to introduce the measure from 1 July. It should help road companies weather the fuel crisis storm. Predictably, rail is not pleased, as it will reduce the chance for a modal shift.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>As Switzerland is planning to \u2018level the playing field\u2019 between rail and road by including electric trucks in the heavy vehicle tax<\/a>, the Netherlands is taking a different turn. As (fuel) prices in the road sector soar, the government seeks to alleviate pressure by giving road transport companies tax relief.<\/p>\n

There already were some changes incoming to how the Netherlands taxes trucks: from 1 July, trucks will pay a driven kilometre-based fee, and the regular truck tax will disappear for vehicles weighing less than 12,000 kilograms. Vehicles weighing over 12 tonnes would continue to pay a fee, but lower than what they owe now. Heavy electric trucks will pay 3.5 cents per kilometre, as opposed to the regular 16 cents for diesel vehicles.<\/p>\n

However, that plan is partially being amended in response to the fuel crisis. The Hague wants to annul the truck tax altogether for Q2 2026 to keep road transport affordable.<\/p>\n

An opportunity left unused<\/h2>\n

This comes as an unwelcome development for rail freight. After all, soaring fuel prices provide an opportunity to strengthen rail\u2019s competitiveness compared to the road. This is a key objective that the industry has struggled to achieve for many years. Stronger competition could then provide an impetus to the modal shift \u2014 when more companies choose to ship their products via rail rather than in trucks. The road\u2013rail modal shift is an official EU policy.<\/p>\n

The Dutch rail freight association RailGood spells out the sector\u2019s perspective: \u201cRail freight has been paying high infrastructure fees for years.\u201d It pays for driving trains, using the overhead lines, parking and shunting. \u201cAt the same time, road transport does not pay parking fees and it benefits from a fully interoperable European road network and less overregulation. By contrast, rail freight has to deal with limited interoperability […].\u201d<\/p>\n

It does not help rail that the tax measure aims at stimulating the road sector, and not at reducing costs for diesel-fuelled transportation in general. That could have been beneficial for rail to a limited extent, such as for first and last-mile operations and for operations on non-electrified sections of the network.<\/p>\n

RailGood points out that a competitiveness improvement for rail is a necessity, including for road decongestion. Since 2022, the number of international freight trains has declined by 12,000. That equals 600,000 trucks \u2014 27,500 kilometres of vehicles when lined up.<\/p>\n

In Germany, the rail freight industry is similarly dissatisfied with (the lack of) political decision-making. It also sees an opportunity for a modal shift as fuel prices rise, but the federal government is failing to put together a track access charge pricing reform<\/strong>. As a result, it remains unclear how much German rail freight operations will cost in 2027. This leaves companies in uncertainty and makes it difficult to attract new customers.<\/p>\n