Economic Effects 80 km/h

Transport & Mobility Leuven performed an economic analysis of the decrease of speed limits for trucks on motorways to 80 km/h. Special attention is given to the extent and type of costs for the different stakeholders (truck sector, government, …).

The results show that, by implementing the speed limitation of 80km/h for trucks, the expenses of the Belgian truck sector will increase with 1,46 % or 104,1 million euro. The costs of the foreign truck sector will increase in the same order.

For the calculation of the costs, the vehicle purchase, maintenance, fuel and insurance costs, several taxes, labour costs and time costs have been taken into account. The 5.339 million truck kilometers that are still being driven on the motorways have a global increase in costs of 203.9 million euro in 2010, of which 104,9 for the Belgian trucks.

These 104.9 million euro are the extra costs of the Belgian transport firms on the motorways. They represent 2.294 million truck kilometers of the 5.339 million that are driven on our highways in 2010, or less than half.

By implementing the 80km/h, there are also other additional effects that have their impact on the complete truck sector, namely the shift to other roads and other transport modes (rail and inland navigation), the logistic processes, the choice for other truck sizes and load degrees, ...

These effects result in a smaller increase of the costs for the Belgian trucks on all roads, namely 104.1 million euro or 1,46%. This number represents best what the measure will cost the truck sector.

The increase in costs for the complete Belgian freight transport, inland navigation and rail included, is of course less because certain costs for road transport are profit for the other transport modes. The increase of costs for the complete sector amounts to 101.9 million euro or 1,06%.

Conclusion: the increase of the costs on the Belgian freight transport is divided as follows:
Effect of the measure on freight transport, for the year 2010
total cost
(million euro)
increase of cost
(million euro)
Belgian trucks on motorways 2.627 19.749 2.621 104,9 3,71%
Belgian trucks on all roads 5.947 38.506 7.156 104,1 1,46%
All Belgian freight transport
(excl. maritime transport and navigation)
  55.077 9.640 101,9 1,06%

In relation to the Gross National Product (283.470 million euro), the freight transport has a share of 3.4%. The increase in costs of 101.9 million euro is consequently 0,04% of the GNP.

The study is based on the most recent available numbers and test results. Founded assumptions were made where necessary. The increase of costs will not be the same for each transport company. Some companies have already put there speed limit lower than 90 km/h for fuel efficiency. A higher or lower fuel consumption is a parameter that can influence the cost increase with more or less 10%.




Vlaamse Overheid, Mobiliteitscel (Flemish government, Mobility Department, now called Afdeling Beleid Mobiliteit en Verkeersveiligheid)



Our team

Griet De Ceuster, Kristof Carlier, Bruno Van Zeebroeck


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