German parcel carrier Hermes will reduce its prices by ending its diesel surcharge due to fallingfuel costs, while GLS will increase prices by adding forthcoming higher motorway toll costs.
Hermes said it will terminate the diesel surcharge introduced in August with effect fromDecember 1 due to the sharp drop in fuel costs. The move will reduce its domestic parcel prices by€0.20 and European prices by €0.40.
“Our customers should also benefit from the current very thankful price trend at the fuelstations which will finally take pressure off costs for parcel and logistics services companies,”commented Hartmut Ilek, Hermes managing director.
Meanwhile, GLS is the first German CEP company to announce how it will deal with theincreased motorway tolls (‘Maut’) for heavy trucks that will enter force on January 1. The B2Bparcels company said that it will fully pass on the higher toll costs, comprising increases of upto 50% depending on truck size and emissions class, to its customers.
“The Maut is an additional charge which transport companies are supposed to collect for thegovernment,” declared GLS Germany managing director Klaus Conrad. “We will pass on these costs toour customers. We will not make any cutbacks on our quality or delivery times because of the Maut.”GLS had already rationalised and optimised its operating processes, and planned to use only Euro Vcategory trucks in the future, he stressed.
The Maut, which is charged on trucks over 12 tonnes, is currently an average 12.4 euro centsper motorway km, including 12/13 cents for Euro III and IV class vehicles (depending on axlenumber) and 10/11 cents for Euro V trucks.
From January, Euro III trucks (accounting for 47% of traffic volumes) will pay 19/20.4 centsper km, Euro IV trucks (8% of traffic) will pay 16.9/18.3 cents and Euro V trucks (35% of traffic)will pay 14.1/15.5 cents.
The higher rates per truck class will result in a 50% rise in the average toll to 18.6 cents,according to the German freight forwarders association. The German transport ministry has estimatedthe new average toll charge at 16.3 euro cents.
