# France toll road tip, (if you are class 2).



## adonisito

Having just returned from 2 months in France, we used some toll roads (for once). Anyway, to cut a long story short, if its says class 3 (and it often does), buzz the communicator, say "Bonjour, nous sommes un camping car" and hey presto they change it. This is on a 6m van with bikes and 3.2m high. I wonder how many people don't check what the class says on the autopay? We reckon we saved close to 30E on 3 stages to what the system asked for.


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## Twm-Twp

I think you've been very fortunate .... one of the criteria that determines the vehicle class is the height of your van. 

You say that your van is over 3-metres high and therefore, you should have been charged class-3 toll charges.

The Federation of French Motorway Companies issue the following vehicle classifications.

Class 1: Vehicle with overall height under 2-metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

Class 2: Vehicles with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

Class 3: Vehicles with overall height of 3 metres or more and GVW of more than 3.5 tonnes.

Class 4 are essentially trucks & buses with three or more axles and class 5 are bikes.

Your weight is never 'measured' at the tolls but your height sometimes is.

But any saving is a good saving !!!!


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## adonisito

Perhaps so, we were lucky on 4 occasions, but the van is plated at 3.25 and the height only went over 3 metres because of all the fishing gear etc on the roof.  The official height of the van is 2.96m, the tolls still stated class 3.
Sorry for the confusion, the fact is that the required tolls all stated class 3, the van isn't.


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## BrianJP

The toll booths manned or unmanned determine the class purely on vehicle height which in your case loaded was over 3m hence your class 3 charge. The companies do state clearly that if there is an error in the reading they will refund any excess charges. So make sure you keep and check any ticket.


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## Penquin

Most peages have a sensor to detect your height as you go through the start of the exit - hence the class 3 charge if you had things on your roof.

It does not atter what the official height of the vehicle is, it is the measured height at the booth that counts. BUT there is a small error in the measuring systems.

So IF your vehicle exceeded 3m due to materials on the roof it fulfilled the criteria to be charged at Class 3. All they have is a height reading for the maximum height of that vehicle and have no clue whether it is the bodywork, a satellite dish, a roof vent left open or some extra gear stored there as you said. As far as the height reader is concerned you exceeded 3m and were therefore correctly issued with a class 3 ticket.

IMO you were lucky to get it reduced to class 2, the officials are rarely generous and usually follow the height guidance of the sensor.

We have an ALIS autotoll payment sensor which we have declared as class 2 and so far so good......... but it would take a very good language speaker to be able to convince all booth supervisors that the machine is reading too high if the measured height of the vehicle is more than about 5 cm above the stated 3m maximum.

I am pleased for you, but would not rely on such an approach - it is unusual for them to be tolerant.....

Dave


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## grizzlyj

I don't think you can say your van isn't the height it actually is because you're ignoring whats on the roof! Do you do the same at low bridges?!  :lol: :lol: 

http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/vehicle-classification.htm


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## JockandRita

Most auto tolls picked us up as Class 2, and when the odd one or two picked us up as Class 3, we used the intercom to confirm that we were a Camping Car. The display immediately reverted to Class 2. :thumbright: 
That's while weighing in at 4.5 - 5 tonne on a six legger. :wink: 

Cheers,

Jock.


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## lucylocket

*Height tolls*

My brother got done as he has a big sat dome fitted, I did tell him but it's a man thing & he never listened, its the dome but if you go through the pay man he doesn't see it. You can't avoid it on the auto ones so be warned. Me I'm happy don't have one


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## inkey-2008

Don't worry about speaking French just keep saying "camping car" they give up and drop to class 2.

Andy


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## The Geologist

I recently drove down the A10 / N10 from Bordeaux to Spain - there are several toll booths between Bordeaux and Spain now, and I saw a motorhome try that - they had got away with it once. The second time out of nowhere - just like that!, appeared the Gendarmes and guess what they has some other officials with them. Then appeared some equipment and hey presto they had to pay for a class 3. So you got away but chances are the next time you won't. The French are getting very very strict about foreigners avoiding paying the correct toll. Mine is just on 3 m and I have the sensor for the autopay section - marvellous but don't try a class 3 with a class 2 sensor - it stops the barrier lifting and you will not be very popular with the HGV's!


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## Telbell

Twm-Twp said:


> I think you've been very fortunate .... one of the criteria that determines the vehicle class is the height of your van.
> 
> You say that your van is over 3-metres high and therefore, you should have been charged class-3 toll charges.
> 
> The Federation of French Motorway Companies issue the following vehicle classifications.
> 
> Class 1: Vehicle with overall height under 2-metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 2: Vehicles with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 3: Vehicles with overall height of 3 metres or more and GVW of more than 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 4 are essentially trucks & buses with three or more axles and class 5 are bikes.
> 
> So which class if you are les than 3m high but more than 3.5ton? The above don't seem to cover it.


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## Stanner

Telbell said:


> Twm-Twp said:
> 
> 
> 
> I think you've been very fortunate .... one of the criteria that determines the vehicle class is the height of your van.
> 
> You say that your van is over 3-metres high and therefore, you should have been charged class-3 toll charges.
> 
> The Federation of French Motorway Companies issue the following vehicle classifications.
> 
> Class 1: Vehicle with overall height under 2-metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 2: Vehicles with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 3: Vehicles with overall height of 3 metres or more and GVW of more than 3.5 tonnes.
> 
> Class 4 are essentially trucks & buses with three or more axles and class 5 are bikes.
> 
> So which class if you are les than 3m high but more than 3.5ton? The above don't seem to cover it.
> 
> 
> 
> Well you are certainly NOT Class 2 as you are over 3.5t - so that means you must be Class 3 by default despite the wording which should be "and/or".
Click to expand...


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