The free flow technology, recently authorized nationwide by Law No. 14,157/2021, is revolutionizing freight transportation and fleet management in Brazil. Although it is a novelty here, free flow is already widely used in other countries such as China, the United States, Portugal, and our neighbor Chile.
The free flow is a toll system without booths, which allows vehicles to be identified and billed through gantries installed along the highways. These toll booths read the license plate or the chip installed in vehicles through tags. In practice, the driver does not need to stop or reduce speed when passing through the toll booth, which results in savings and brings several benefits.
Payment can be made automatically through the tag installed on the vehicle's windshield, which communicates with the toll booths located along the route. In this case, the driver receives the toll charge on the tag's own invoice. The user who does not have the technology needs to make the payment manually, through the highway concessionaire's app or website.
In addition to the ease of use and convenience of paying on the invoice, using the tag as a means of payment for free flow has exclusive advantages, such as a 5% discount on the toll amount charged, the Basic Tariff Discount (DBT), exclusively intended for users of the automatic payment solution.
The project, which began its implementation in Brazil in January 2023, is being introduced gradually, with its first installation in the state of São Paulo starting last Wednesday (09/04). Located in the municipality of Itápolis, the gateway is situated at km 179 of Highway SP-333. According to EcoNoroeste, the concessionaire responsible for the highway, the toll fee remains the same as the previous toll, R$ 8.90. While tag users pay R$ 8.45 – with the 5% DBT discount.
In addition to São Paulo, there are still four free flow toll booths in operation equipped with cameras and laser sensors, one in Rio de Janeiro (Rio-Santos) and three in Rio Grande do Sul (ERS-122, ERS-240, and ERS-446), an important milestone of this transformation. According to Abepam (Brazilian Association of Automatic Payment Companies for Mobility), there are already toll booths installed or in the process of installation on 27 federal highways and 58 state highways.
The main promise of free flow is to promote a fairer charge, since the toll booths will be installed at more points, resulting in the collection of fees proportional to the distance traveled. For drivers, it is a significant relief. The end of toll queues brings a productivity gain and reduces stress, with smoother traffic flow, which also helps to decrease fuel consumption – directly impacting the driver's wallet and also helping the environment.
For shippers, responsible for sending goods, the free flow contributes to better predictability of transit time, which facilitates logistical planning. Reducing delays and increasing transportation efficiency result in a more reliable and agile supply chain, providing companies with a faster response to market demands.
In practice, the comparison between traditional toll booths and the free flow system is revealing. A truck can reduce fuel costs by up to R$ 5 per toll booth, simply by not needing to decelerate, stop, and accelerate again. This savings, equivalent to about 800 milliliters of diesel per toll, represents a significant reduction in operational costs. Additionally, with fewer frequent braking, there is a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere, benefiting the environment.
As the system expands across Brazil, its benefits become increasingly evident, solidifying it as a key component in the modernization of road transportation. Now it is up to companies and managers to embrace this innovation, optimize their operations, and contribute to smoother and less polluting traffic, making the logistics sector more efficient and sustainable.
