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Truck and Track Summer 2019 4
BUSINESS NEWS
EETS, the DKV BOX EUROPE & a view
on the changing toll landscape
Interviewwith Jürgen Steinmeyer (Director Toll at DKV Euro Service)
Laboratory tests, field tests, certifications,
formal approvals from transport authorities
and ministries, products available to pre-
order, order or deliver – the European toll
market has not seen so much activity for
years. But when it comes to Europe-wide toll
boxes (EETS boxes), there is a great need for
clarification if the product is to work as the
customer is led to believe it should. Jürgen
Steinmeyer (Director Toll at DKV Euro Service)
explains what hauliers should bear in mind.
Mr Steinmeyer, if an EETS box works in a country, can I install
it in my vehicle, drive off and expect that the toll will be
correctly settled and correctly shown onmy invoice?
Yes and no. If a provider states that his EETS box works in this or that
country, this can also mean that his product is technically capable
of covering that country and its toll systemor it has been successful
in a previous field test.
As a haulier, how can I ensure that the box I ordered will work
as it should on every occasion in the future?
First of all, the toll service provider should be certified as an EETS
provider or the box sourced from an EETS provider. DKV EURO
SERVICE sources the DKV BOX EUROPE from Toll4Europe GmbH, a
certified EETS provider. Whatever the box itself is said to be capable
of, it must be certified for. The process for doing this varies from
country to country. In Germany, for example, the box undergoes
a laboratory test then a field test. After this, the Federal Office
for Goods Transport (BAG) prepares a report on the certification
and the box becomes approved for use on German roads through
an approval agreement with BAG. A similar procedure applies in
Belgium. As a reputable EETS provider, we are ready and willing to
give information about the certification status of our box at any
time. Ultimately, it is about the customer’s security of service, and
he will very quickly lose confidence in that service if his box does
not work.
How do you explain why there is still so much uncertainty on
the market?
Now that the idea of EETS has gained the necessary momentum,
more and more new players are entering the market. The message
has been that as many countries as possible will be covered as
quickly as possible in order to direct customer focus onto the
product.However,therequiredcertificationsareoftennotavailable,
and the box cannot be used. In my view, this is not at all expedient
because I will lose the confidence of the customer if his box does not
work or it is not delivered to him on time. Transparent billing must
also be provided as well as additional services such as the passage
lists shown in DKV eReporting. Emergency processes also play an
important role. In other words: What does the customer do if the
EETS OBU sometimes fails to work properly? We do not gamble
with the trust of our customers. I am convinced that a serious and
credible dialogue with our customers and potential customers is
the only way to deal with this issue. We do not have to be the first
on the market. But we must offer our customers quality products
that work as they believe they should.
What is the situation with the DKV BOX EUROPE? What
countries will it cover?
We are bang on schedule with the DKV BOX EUROPE. This year
will see the tolls for Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, Spain and
Portugal made available on the box. Customers have been able to
order the box sinceMay. Details of the ordering process and delivery
are available to our customers from their local branch office.
Jürgen Steinmeyer
Eddie Stobart secures contract with
Lallemand
Leading supply chain, transport and logistics company, Eddie
Stobart has been awarded a five-year contract by Lallemand
Biofuels and Distilled Spirits (LBDS), a Business Unit of
Lallemand, a global leader in the development, production and
marketing of yeast, bacteria and speciality ingredients.
The contract will see Eddie Stobart deliver logistics support for
the LBDS bulk cream yeast business for the UK’s distilled spirits
industry. Yeast is a key LBDS product, used predominantly in the
production of whisky.
Tony Leighton, SectorDirector at EddieStobart said “We’redelighted
to have been selected as the LBDS logistics partner of choice for this
project, which further underlines our commitment and experience
across the Bulk sector. We are excited by this opportunity and we
look forward to working with LBDS.”
LBDSwill use Eddie Stobart’s specialist food grade tankers featuring
state of the art temperature maintaining insulation. The vehicles
will also use telematics technology to help distribute bulk cream
yeast to many of the major distilleries in Scotland.
Vic DeMelo, Managing Director at the Lallemand production facility
in the UK said “We are thrilled about this new partnership which
will see us offer an improved andmore flexible service tomeet all of
our customers’ requirements. Eddie Stobart’s scale of network and
infrastructure is a great fit for our business and we look forward
to enjoying the benefits and possibilities of this new working
relationship.”
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