Austria without a gobox

[hblewett]

We’re in the Black Forest on route to Italy. Usually we’ve gone through Switzerland but I’m thinking it may be good to go by some of Austria, but only if we can avoid the gobox as we are over 3.5t.
I know that there are some expressways’ as well as motoways we would have to pay on … it’s easy enough to avoid using motorways - just set the sat nav right - but trying to work out which are the expressways is not so easy.

Any help/hints/suggested good routes avoiding tolls in Austria would be most welcomed.

 

[Lenny HB]

Been across Austria quite a few times without a Go Box (4.5t) never had any problems.
I set my satnav not to use "period tolls" but I leave "pay by use tolls" on, as once it tried to take me 150 miles to get to a place 30 miles away, it was avoiding a toll tunnel.

 

[Brains]

We are heading that way in a week or so.
We are 3.8t
Our van looks like a supermarket delivery van, (Conventional van front with box on the back)
Our intention is to simply buy a Vignette at the last motorway services in Germany for €9 and leave it at that.

We were parked up next to a British Hymer a few days ago.
They were typical A class shape, flat front, big windscreen, 7.5m and 4.5t
They had ordered a Vignette by post to the UK months ago, giving their reg number and were simply sent the standard €9 version, they have now crossed Austria twice (to Croatia and back) without any issues so far.

So I guess it may depend on what your van looks like.
If it looks big, American RV, or tag axle, or horsebox style then I think you may have an issue.
If it just looks like a conventional MoHo then I think you are OK.

Remember MoHo's over 3.5t are rare in the EU, as most people don't have the licence to drive them.
(The UK was one of the few (then) EU countries to retain the C1 'grandfather rights' to drive upto 7.5t, traction engines etc.)

 

[Lenny HB]

Our intention is to simply buy a Vignette at the last motorway services in Germany for €9 and leave it at that.

They sometimes ask for your V5.

Remember MoHo's over 3.5t are rare in the EU, as most people don't have the licence to drive them.

Only in France where loads are registered at 3.5t with no payload.

 

[hblewett]

Thanks for the replies - all very helpful.
In the end we have decided to track through Switzerland for several reasons - to visit the Rhinefalls, so we can choose our routes back later when we plan to meet up with the Tour de France somewhere in the Alps, so we have some days left within the year for going en route and return to Greece sometime in the next 12 months.

In the end the border was unmanned (in fact completely unpersonned) because of the bank holiday so we couldn’t get our over 3.5t roads pass anyway. Taking Brains advice we are staying off motorways so don’t need any vignette/road pass/whatever, do we. Local roads all quiet today so motorways best avoided anyway. Found a good place to stop with a view of Bodensee
(Photo won’t post for some reason)

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[royandsharont]

If your in Switzerland and as you are over 3.5t you need a heavy vehicle tax just to drive on any road. I think heavy fines for getting caught without one. I think you buy 5 travelling days & only count the calendar days you actually drive on

 

[jongood]

We are heading that way in a week or so.
We are 3.8t
Our van looks like a supermarket delivery van, (Conventional van front with box on the back)
Our intention is to simply buy a Vignette at the last motorway services in Germany for €9 and leave it at that.

We were parked up next to a British Hymer a few days ago.
They were typical A class shape, flat front, big windscreen, 7.5m and 4.5t
They had ordered a Vignette by post to the UK months ago, giving their reg number and were simply sent the standard €9 version, they have now crossed Austria twice (to Croatia and back) without any issues so far.

So I guess it may depend on what your van looks like.
If it looks big, American RV, or tag axle, or horsebox style then I think you may have an issue.
If it just looks like a conventional MoHo then I think you are OK.

Remember MoHo's over 3.5t are rare in the EU, as most people don't have the licence to drive them.
(The UK was one of the few (then) EU countries to retain the C1 'grandfather rights' to drive upto 7.5t, traction engines etc.)

This is the right answer, the French approach, if it only has 4 wheels then it 3.5 tonnes, same in France the only 4vwheeled motors with abgles mortes stickers are not french!

 

[hblewett]

If your in Switzerland and as you are over 3.5t you need a heavy vehicle tax just to drive on any road. I think heavy fines for getting caught without one. I think you buy 5 travelling days & only count the calendar days you actually drive on

We’ve done it a few times, because a Moho is not a goods vehicle you can only get the paperwork at the border, not online as you would for a truck. It’s a little difficult to do the paperwork when there’s no one at the border post.

We’re quite willing to pay what’s due as witnessed by the photo we took of ourselves and the Moho stopped at the deserted border. We could have bought a vignette at the first fuel station after the border but that would plainly be seen as fraudulent and look as if we were setting out to buck the system.

If we had the over 3.5 tonne paperwork, which is cheaper than a vignette, we wouldn’t be displaying a vignette anyway, but could, of course, use all classes of road knowing we were in order.

As it is we are just aiming not to draw attention to ourselves - if we do get stopped we’ll explain our situation and hope for the best!

 

[hblewett]

in France the only 4vwheeled motors with abgles mortes stickers are not french!

That’s what we saw. We have Angles Mort, but they’re inside the van!

 

[Lenny HB]

If your in Switzerland and as you are over 3.5t you need a heavy vehicle tax just to drive on any road. I think heavy fines for getting caught without one. I think you buy 5 travelling days & only count the calendar days you actually drive on

You can buy the pass on line I think 10 days is the minimum.
All the days you are in Switzerland count even if you are on a campsite.

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[WESTY66]

We’re sat in Austria right now, 5Tons and no go box, if you plan carefully you don’t need one, BUT I wouldn’t risk switzerland without the 7 day levy using the Via app for motorhomes over 3.5ton!

 

[WESTY66]

You can buy the pass on line I think 10 days is the minimum.
All the days you are in Switzerland count even if you are on a campsite.

You can get a 7 consecutive day pass OR a 10 day pass to use only on the days you are there, I think it lasts a year or until your 10 days are used up, but I wouldn’t run there over 3.5t without getting one of these on the app

 

[WESTY66]

 

[hblewett]

Thanks for that Lenny HB and WESTY66. I definitely read that the permit is only available at the border which I have done easily enough before - obviously not correct/out of date.
There are a number of Via apps - any tips on which one is to look for please - is it specific to Switzerland or a general toll app.

What amazes me is that whatever their ‘border force’ is there for - stopping illegal good, immigrants, whatever don’t matter enough to have even one member of staff on duty because it’s a bank holiday?

 

[WESTY66]

Thanks for that Lenny HB and WESTY66. I definitely read that the permit is only available at the border which I have done easily enough before - obviously not correct/out of date.
There are a number of Via apps - any tips on which one is to look for please - is it specific to Switzerland or a general toll app.

What amazes me is that whatever their ‘border force’ is there for - stopping illegal good, immigrants, whatever don’t matter enough to have even one member of staff on duty because it’s a bank holiday?

This is the main/official Swiss via app

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[hblewett]

Thanks again WESTY66 . I first simply Googled it and found a whole collection now I’ve gone into the App Store its clear which is the one for Switzerland, so I’m all sorted - I think!

Strange thing is I had a problem yesterday trying to find the Swiss toll website - there are so many competing for toll cards etc for HGVs, scams that intercept official websites then pass you on for a fee, advice from numerous travel organisations - always only about cars that l never found the official site.

 

[hblewett]

All sorted. The app is very clear and easy to use. Really helpful advice here when you need it. OH sends her appreciation - as a magistrate and law abiding citizen she doesn’t like to break the rules - no more do I.1

The app is so convenient that I don’t think I’ll bother with stopping for a bit or paper ever again.

Despite travelling from Nordkapp to the Atlas Mountains and east to the Black Sea over the last 15 years there’s always something else to learn
‘Every day’s a school day’

I’ve got the image posting sorted too - view from our overnight stop, what’s not to like