Truck levy rates cut 22.3% until the end of 2026
Infrastructure Minister Karremans says the truck levy (vrachtwagenheffing) is arriving in difficult times. The cabinet is cutting costs for haulage firms, while 75 road freight companies went bankrupt in the first half of 2026.
The cabinet earlier decided to cut truck levy (vrachtwagenheffing) rates by 22.3% from 1 September to 31 December because of high fuel prices, Infrastructure Minister Karremans said in answers to parliamentary questions, received by the Tweede Kamer on 21 October. He added that the cabinet intends to extend the diesel excise discount by two years.
Road freight bankruptcies in early 2026 are the second-highest in six years
Companies declared bankrupt, first half of each year
Road freight bankruptcies in early 2026 are the second-highest in six years (companies declared bankrupt, first half of each year). Highest: H1 2024, 98; lowest: H1 2022, 34; 6 items. Source: CBS, as cited by the minister.
View data
| Item | Companies declared bankrupt, first half of each year |
|---|---|
| H1 2021 | 44 |
| H1 2022 | 34 |
| H1 2023 | 55 |
| H1 2024 | 98 |
| H1 2025 | 52 |
| H1 2026 | 75 |
The cabinet has also set the motor vehicle tax (MRB) rate for trucks of 12 tonnes or more at zero from 1 July to 31 December 2026. If the diesel discount is extended, continuing in 2027 and phasing out in 2028, diesel excise would stay at around €0.55 a litre in 2027, rather than around €0.67 without it.
"The cabinet is aware that the introduction of the truck levy, which was planned for years, is taking place under these difficult circumstances," the minister said. He pointed to an energy crisis with higher energy prices, and to ageing bridges and viaducts that bring planned and unexpected maintenance, such as closures of the Papendrechtsebrug (N3) and the Merwedebrug (A27).
On prices, the cabinet says the levy leads on average to a limited rise in transport costs, which are usually passed on to the client, so it affects consumer prices. The effect is limited because transport is a small share of a product's cost price. The consumer price rise from the levy was calculated at 0.02% while the truck levy law was being prepared.
Net revenue from the levy goes to the transport sector. It funds subsidies such as AanZET, the purchase subsidy for electric trucks, which the minister said makes the sector less dependent on energy from outside Europe and less vulnerable to rising fuel prices.
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vrachtwagenheffing
The Dutch truck levy is a road charge paid by operators of heavy goods vehicles for driving on Dutch public roads. It is charged per kilometre, and the rate depends on the vehicle's weight and emissions class, so cleaner and lighter trucks generally pay less. The Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax and Customs Administration) collects the charge, and it is a separate levy from the fuel excise on diesel.