Federal Logistics and Mobility Office

What Federal Logistics and Mobility Office does

The Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM), headquartered in Cologne, is a German federal government agency (Bundesamt) under the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, employing approximately 170 staff across 14 nationwide offices. Originally founded in 1953 as the Bundesamt für Güterverkehr and later rebranded to reflect its broadened mandate, BALM functions as Germany's central regulator and operator for commercial road logistics, multimodal mobility, and civil emergency transport.

Its core operational responsibility is the Lkw-Maut (truck toll) system covering approximately 52,000 km of federal motorways and trunk roads. The toll is calculated by distance, axle class, weight class, pollutant class, and CO2 emission class, and is collected via GNSS-based on-board units or manual booking. Technical operations are delivered by Toll Collect GmbH under mandate to BALM, with cross-border interoperability delivered through the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). Recent product launches include the TollNow app (December 2025) and the mandatory Mauterhebungsdienst (MED) for EETS providers (January 2026). Beyond tolling, BALM administers market access permits and licensing for commercial road haulage and passenger transport, conducts nationwide road and toll enforcement controls (with modernization projects such as Weigh in Motion and SKD Digital), coordinates civil emergency logistics via the Transportorganisation des Bundes (TOB), and runs federal funding programs for cycling infrastructure (Radnetz Deutschland), fleet renewal, and sustainable commercial transport.

Because BALM is a public-law body, it generates no commercial revenue; its budget is allocated through federal appropriations, and the toll receipts it administers flow into the federal transport infrastructure budget. Its user base is structurally fragmented and very large: every commercial freight operator with vehicles above 3.5 tonnes on the federal network must participate, which in 2025 corresponded to 40.5 billion km of recorded truck travel, up 0.9% on 2024.

Name

Federal Logistics and Mobility Office

Legal name

Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität

Website

https://balm.bund.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität (BALM) is Germany's federal agency under the Ministry for Digital and Transport, responsible for the nationwide Lkw-Maut truck toll on ~52,000 km of federal roads, commercial transport licensing, enforcement, civil emergency logistics, and federal sustainable mobility funding programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Transportation Regulation

NAICS

Support Activities for Road Transportation (4884), Support Activities for Transportation (488)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Services & Operations Outsourcing for Tolling/RUC Programs (TLAJABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) Systems & Virtual Weigh Stations (TLAJAKAB)

Keywords

• Truck toll collection
• Transport regulation
• Civil emergency logistics
• Mobility funding programs
• Road transport licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln (Cologne)

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Lkw-Maut (Truck Toll): Usage-based toll charged to truck operators for use of German federal roads. The toll is calculated based on distance traveled on tollable roads, vehicle axle class, weight class, emission class, and CO2 emission class. Revenue is collected before trip commencement via automatic on-board units or manual booking.
2. Grant Programs Administration: BALM administers various federal funding programs for sustainable mobility including: environmental protection and security (Umweltschutz und Sicherheit), commercial transport, fleet renewal, bicycle infrastructure, and public transport support.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität operates Germany's nationwide truck toll (Lkw-Maut) system, regulates commercial road transport licensing and market access, coordinates civil emergency logistics through the Transportorganisation des Bundes (TOB), and administers federal mobility funding programs for cycling infrastructure and digitalization. The agency also enforces transport regulations via automated and manual controls across its 14 locations.

Product overview

The Federal Logistics and Mobility Office (BALM) operates primarily as a regulatory and administrative agency rather than a product company. Its core services include the Lkw-Maut (truck toll) system for trucks over 3.5 tonnes on German federal highways, administered in partnership with Toll Collect GmbH and supplemented by the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) for cross-border use. The agency manages market access procedures and permits for commercial transport operators, conducts road and toll controls, and operates the Transportorganisation des Bundes (TOB) for civil emergency preparedness. BALM also administers various funding programs for sustainable mobility including cycling infrastructure (Radnetz Deutschland), commercial transport efficiency, and fleet modernization. The agency provides Open Data access to traffic and toll statistics, and has recently launched the TollNow app-based toll system. The organization has no AI/ML capabilities documented and does not offer a public API.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lkw-Maut (Truck Toll) System Germany's distance-based truck toll system covering approximately 6.9 billion km of federal highways and toll roads, applicable to commercial goods vehicles from 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight, with tariff rates varying by vehicle class, emission category, and infrastructure cost.
• European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) Cross-border interoperable electronic toll service enabling commercial road transport operators to pay tolls across multiple European countries through a single service contract and on-board unit.
• Transportorganisation des Bundes (TOB) Federal civil emergency logistics coordination service for organizing transport logistics support during crisis situations and national defense scenarios.
• Market Access Procedures (Marktzugangsverfahren) Licensing and market access procedures for commercial road transport operators and passenger transport companies, including issuance of permits, certifications, and regulatory approvals required to operate in Germany.
• Federal Mobility Funding Programs Federal grant programs supporting cycling infrastructure (Radnetz Deutschland), mobility digitalization, and related transport infrastructure projects administered by BALM.
• Road Transport Enforcement and Controls Regulatory enforcement and inspection of commercial road transport operations, including stationary and mobile controls of vehicle compliance with toll, driving, and licensing regulations across Germany's federal highway network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40.5 billion km of truck travel recorded on toll network in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Toll Collect GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationToll Collect GmbH operates the German truck toll collection system on behalf of BALM. Responsibilities include: toll detection via satellite navigation (GNSS), on-board unit (OBU) provision, automatic and manual toll booking systems, and data processing. The company also developed TollNow, the app-based semi-automatic toll system launched December 2025.
• Nagel-Group Logistics SEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBALM President Christian Hoffmann presented Nagel-Group Logistics SE with a certificate for participation in the Transportorganisation des Bundes (TOB) of civil emergency preparedness. Nagel-Group is one of the transport companies cooperating in the federal transport organization to ensure supply chains during crisis situations.
• European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) ProvidersmajorTechnology or IntegrationEETS providers offer cross-border access to the German toll network with a single contract and one on-board unit. The European Electronic Toll Service enables foreign transport operators to use German toll roads under unified European standards.
• Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BGL) e.V.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBGL publishes annual holiday travel bans and alternative route maps for trucks, which BALM distributes through its channels. BGL provides the Ausweichstreckenkarte (alternative route map) showing truck restrictions and detour options during holiday periods.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Highways (UK): UK government-owned company responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving England's motorways and major A-roads. Comparable as a national road authority with tolling (Dart Charge, M6 Toll) and traffic-data capabilities.
• AWV / Rijkswaterstaat: Dutch agency under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management managing national roads, bridges, and waterways including truck tolling (Eurovignette/MKBA) and traffic data services — closely parallel to BALM in scope and EU interoperability role.
• ANAS S.p.A. Italy's national road and motorway infrastructure agency, operating toll collection, traffic monitoring, and enforcement across the Italian road network — a comparable national tolling/road authority within the European EETS framework.

Others

• European Commission DG MOVE: EU policy and regulatory body setting the EETS framework, Eurovignette Directive, and Mobility Package rules that govern BALM's tolling and licensing operations. Relevant as the upstream regulator defining BALM's operating constraints.
• Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr: BALM's parent ministry, which defines federal transport policy, budgets, and legislation that BALM implements. Relevant as the supervisory body whose policy direction directly drives BALM's mandate and priorities.

Direct peers

• ASFINAG: Austria's federal motorway operator and tolling authority, running the GO-Box and GO-Maut truck tolling system as well as the ASFINAG enforcement framework. Directly comparable as a national tolling and road infrastructure agency in a neighboring EETS market.
• Toll Collect GmbH: Toll Collect operates the German truck toll (Lkw-Maut) system on behalf of BALM using GNSS technology, including OBU provisioning, automatic/manual booking, and the TollNow app. It is the closest operational peer as the technical executor of BALM's core mandate.

Emerging players

• Kapsch TrafficCom AG: Global provider of intelligent transportation systems including tolling, traffic management, and weigh-in-motion solutions for road authorities. Comparable as a technology supplier and integrator adjacent to BALM's modernization projects.
• EETS Provider (e.g., Axxès, Toll4Europe): Private EETS providers offering cross-border truck tolling subscriptions integrated with Germany's MED framework since January 2026. Comparable as commercial tolling intermediaries that depend on BALM's underlying infrastructure.

Regional players

• SANEF / APRR: French motorway concession operators running interoperable electronic toll collection across France's autoroute network. Comparable as toll operators integrated into EETS, but privately held and geographically focused on France rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjvl-iTlKvgACL2pgSCNeGg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bundesamt-fuer-logistik-und-mobilitaet
• Instagraminstagram.com/balm.bund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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