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BERLIN, July 31 (Reuters) - Germany confirmed on Thursday that it would delay the effective start of a new truck road-toll system by two months until the beginning of November after widespread criticism of the scheme by transport operators.
Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe confirmed a Reuters report from earlier this week, telling the Tagesspiegel daily the formal start date on August 31 would be kept but that the first two months would be used for testing and no tolls would be collected until November 2.
The government estimates the toll, set at 12.4 cents per kilometre at first and later rising to 15 cents, should yield about 2.8 billion euros ($3.22 billion) per year.
The delay comes amid increasing reports of technical problems with the satellite-based tracking equipment used in the planned toll system and follows a decision by the European Union last week to launch a probe into the scheme.
Toll Collect, the operator consortium led by DaimlerChrysler AG and Deutsche Telekom AG , said it welcomed the decision and would use the testing period to ensure a smooth launch to the scheme.
"We have great understanding for the concerns of the transport industry," Toll Collect project leader Michael Rummel said in a statement.
"Freight companies and drivers can now get used to the new system, which will be fully functional by August 31, and can familiarise themselves with the technology without any time pressure," he said.
The road toll has been described as a "quantum leap" by the government, which sees the system as one of the most significant reforms to transport policy in recent decades.
But freight operators have complained bitterly about problems with the onboard computers used in the system and about continuing shortages of the devices, which allow the tolls to be paid without the need to stop at fixed collection points.
The tolls can also be paid through the Internet or manually but these alternatives have been dismissed as impractical by foreign truckers, who must frequently pass through Germany on the way to other European destinations.
The EU is concerned the system, which will apply to trucks of over 12 tonnes, will give local firms an unfair advantage over foreign rivals and is investigating government plans to compensate German truckers for the extra costs of the new tolls.
The government has pledged local truckers 600 million euros in subsidies to balance the costs once the toll rises, prompting the EU to open its probe into the scheme.