# Over 3.5t and how many 'GO'-type boxes do you have/had?



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

With the spread of the requirement for vehicles over 3.5 t to have boxes fitted for kilometre-based charging for use of Motorways in Europe, I wonder how many boxes Members have used/accumulated?

Do you keep your boxes for the next trip or hand them in and re-claim the deposit?

If I want to go from Poland to Spain by my chosen route I would need boxes for Poland, Czech, Austria and a (toll charge) for Switzerland. Also if I want to use the main roads in Slovakia I need another one.

How many people have not bothered to get one and not been caught and in which countries? I understand in Austria it is not worth the risk. You may wish to PM your answers on this one :wink: 

For any moralists, thinking that I am objecting to paying, that is not my problem - it is the inconvenience of having to find somewhere to buy a box, fit it, activate it and reclaim the deposit, often by sending it back by post, just for a few hours on their Motorway. 

Why could the EU not have forced these countries to adopt identical systems - the EU does it for other things, e.g mobile phone chargers :roll: 

Geoff


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The same applies to our telepeage system - works in France but not in Spain......

why not the same system throughout Europe?

If that was adopted then the UK could charge foreign registered lorries for using UK motorways - something which has been talked about repeatedly but never acted upon.......

UK citizens would not be charged in the UK, but would be elsewhere....

to me that seems logical - maybe that is why I am a founder of the D&D group......

Dave


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

With more and more Go Box type of road pricing coming into effect, when we purchased our present van we decided to keep to 3500kg.
Saves a lot of hassle


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Grath said:


> With more and more Go Box type of road pricing coming into effect, when we purchased our present van we decided to keep to 3500kg.
> Saves a lot of hassle


Graham

Obviously you are right, but when I bought 3 1/2 years ago I did not know I was coming to live in E. Europe where boxes are more prevalent and a lot of schemes did not exist then.

As I said it is just the hassle not the cost, which, even over a few years, would be less than changing the MH.

Geoff


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

nicholsong said:


> Grath said:
> 
> 
> > With more and more Go Box type of road pricing coming into effect, when we purchased our present van we decided to keep to 3500kg.
> ...


Geoff, I wasn't trying to be smug, it was the right decision for me as I could see the increase of Go Box type of tolls, but it does limit the M/H size. I did my research and found that the Exsis has a half decent payload which is Ok for us. I carry everything and the rest also, but it would not be enough if I had a family! My payload is 670kg before extras fitted!
My previous Hymer was uprated and had well over 1000 kg payload, but not enough storage space (no garage)
Everybody is different and everybody uses their van a little differently.
As you know, I have a full HGV licence and it would have been nice to have a big van, but with all the implications such as medicals, go boxes and this that and the other, for me the 3500kg was right.
But for others ?


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## WhiteCheyenneMan (Sep 27, 2011)

In 2011 we drove from the German border near Salzburg to Vienna and then back to Salzburg and through the Tyrol to Lichtenstein. There were clear signs to go to the Shell Garage at the German border, to buy a Go-Box. The man on the till asked for our itinerary (they can ask for evidence of your emissions, but we weren't).

It cost £230.42 because we included trips in, out and around Vienna in our estimate. As it happened we were able to borrow a local car from family in Vienna, so we received a £50.63 refund at the border before entering Lichtenstein. It's not cheap, but you could pay less if you estimate less mileage. The trouble with that is that may have to find somewhere to top up during the trip, which is just more hassle.

We paid with a CC and received the refund to that card when we returned the Go-Box. Again there was a sign just before the border with Lichtenstein, which led us to the offices of Gebrüder Weis, an Austrian Haulier who were totally clued up. Both stops took no more than five minutes each.

The box is quite small and comes with an explanatory leaflet in English and paired velcro strips on the box. Peel off the backing and stick to the windscreen as far forward as you can reach (so that it can communicate with the overhead gantries). When you return it, you just pull the velcro apart, leaving two strips in the windscreen for next time!

Keep the volume loud enough to hear the pings as you pass under gantries. The leaflet explains what to do if it fails, but ours was fine. You may shed a tear as each €uro pings away from your credit. If so you will be in floods of tears on the urban motorways where the pings are almost continuous :lol:


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## colonel (Oct 11, 2008)

We used a go-box in Austria and we found the whole process a real pain. 

The service station that was supposed to be able to issue them didn't - nor the next two service stations. Finally we found a service station that did issue them but their system was down. We had to drive about 40 km into Austria to find somewhere that could actually provide us with one. This was on the Autobahn from Munich so the main route into Austria.

They insisted that the minimum amount you can load onto the box was 80 Euros when we only intended to travel about 100 Kim's and this would have cost about 30 Euros.

Same when we returned, no station able to credit the remaining value until we got nearly to Munich. The system does not seem to be set up for tourists more for large trucks. We would not go back for this reason.


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

What with 'Go Boxes' and LEZ's putting MH's over 3,500kg into the HGV class for charges and access, perhaps it's time to adopt the use of easy tow type trailers to give the required payload.
3,500kg GVW plus 750kg on trailer same as 4250kg MH.

SMV Space Extender

As a bonus the new drivers licence can last for 10 years for 'B' category against 5 years plus medical for 'C' category.


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## Christine600 (Jan 20, 2011)

I have a couple already and have yet to visit Austria and many others.

If your windscreen fills with 10 go-boxes can you get fined for obscuring the view trough the windshield?


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## WhiteCheyenneMan (Sep 27, 2011)

colonel said:


> We used a go-box in Austria and we found the whole process a real pain.
> 
> The service station that was supposed to be able to issue them didn't - nor the next two service stations. Finally we found a service station that did issue them but their system was down. We had to drive about 40 km into Austria to find somewhere that could actually provide us with one. This was on the Autobahn from Munich so the main route into Austria.
> 
> ...


Don't know whether you did this Colonel, but you have to drive into the Truckstop part of the services and go to the Truckstop side of the Shell garage. Also if you load the minimum amount of credit, you'll get a refund at the end.

It's not always a Garage/Service area as we found. There are other agents, such as Gebrüder Weis, but maybe we were lucky to find plenty of signs?


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## tony5677 (Jul 9, 2007)

HI All
we have a 3800kg Hymer.
we have toured france germany,italy, austria, croatia, slovinia,and others, allways travelled off motorways in these countries,It is easy for us as we are retired, no time limits, never had a GO box type toll sender.
No doubt, in in the next few years,all decent routes between EU countries will be tolled.
Its not the cost, its the hassle.
Driving from Scotland to Croatia, It would be possible to collect several GO box type senders.


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## icer (Dec 11, 2006)

Geoff,


Is it possible to visit Poland and not have a go box, providing we stay off the toll route motorways and toll national routes.

We intend to have a look at South western Poland

Ian


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## colonel (Oct 11, 2008)

WhiteCheyenneMan said:


> Don't know whether you did this Colonel, but you have to drive into the Truckstop part of the services and go to the Truckstop side of the Shell garage. Also if you load the minimum amount of credit, you'll get a refund at the end.
> 
> It's not always a Garage/Service area as we found. There are other agents, such as Gebrüder Weis, but maybe we were lucky to find plenty of signs?


Yep we did find that and that's why I said it seems to be set up for truckers not tourists. What with systems being down and sometimes surly response from staff, I would always now avoid them if I could.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

icer said:


> Geoff,
> 
> Is it possible to visit Poland and not have a go box, providing we stay off the toll route motorways and toll national routes.
> 
> ...


Ian

Yes it is possible. But you will have to go through some towns to do it.

Geoff


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## Cherekee (May 1, 2005)

Hi,

I now have a GO-BOX with credit left. I have had a look at the website but cannot find out how to get a credit or download a form to go with the returned box. Anybody know how please.

Alan


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

Its certainly not worth risking it in Austria. We knew that but ended uo on the Autobahn by accident. €270 fine. The police said that every vehicle is photographed when entering the motorway so there is no escape.
As for a Europe wide system, forget it. For years they have been arguing in Germany about which system to install and cant agree so they still dont have one ! I would suggest that until Gemany has the best and most efficient system then they cannot impose it upon everyone else.....


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