The new "Funding Programme for Environmental Protection and Safety" for efficient and sustainable fleets

From 5 February 2024, the new funding programme from the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office will come into force, replacing the previous "de minimis" programme. Called the "Environmental Protection and Safety Support Programme", it provides financial support to transport companies to make their fleets more efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly.

The previous "De minimis" programme had been running since 2013, helping road transport companies to modernise their fleets. The renaming of the programme marks a further development and adaptation to current needs and challenges in the transport and logistics sector, with a stronger focus on environmentally friendly and safe technologies. The funding programme also offers non-repayable grants for measures to improve safety and environmental protection in road transport.

Amount of funding and eligible technologies

Under the scheme, companies can receive up to €2,000 per trailer for eligible technologies, with funding limited to 17 vehicles per company. Eligible technologies include the LL self-steering axle, the AirSave tyre pressure control system, the ePower generator axle for refrigerated vehicles and the intelligent axle load measurement of the latest iC Plus trailer chassis generation. Anyone already using telematics solutions to visualise, evaluate and manage fleet data, for example, will also be interested in the funding.

Ralf Merkelbach, Head of Fleet Sales Europe at BPW, recommends making active use of the funding available at LOGISTRA: "It has never been so worthwhile to consistently trim your trailers for efficiency."

Companies can go online to find out about solutions from suppliers of eligible technologies and receive support in navigating the funding jungle.

The application period for this year's funding period runs from 5 February to 31 May. The Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility emphasises that, due to the current EU regulation on de minimis aid, the 2024 funding period will continue to be handled according to the previous guidelines. However, approvals will only be possible until 30 June 2024, which is why the application deadline has been brought forward to 31 May. The total budget available for the support programme is €261.9 million.

Accelerated processing

In order to speed up processing, the the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office has introduced measures such as the submission of vehicle documents only with proof of use. Applicants must also select the specific products to be subsidised from a list of eligible measures.

Further information is available at: https://www.balm.bund.de/DE/Foerderprogramme/Gueterkraftverkehr/Deminimis/Umweltschutz_und_Sicherheit_2024/umweltschutz_und_sicherheit.html