Tags
Caravan, Caravanning, Caravans, french toll roads, Liber-t, sanef, Sanef UK, Touring, Towing, travel, Travel Trailer, Travel Trailers
(c) Sanef
Last year we had a little excursion to French France (The French Connection) down to La Tournerie near Montignac – a wonderful site run by Phil & Wendy. This was our first trip with the caravan to foreign shores. While we were at La Tournerie, Chris & Fran who we met up with told us about the Liber-t system for the French Toll roads. A wonderful little device fitted to your windscreen that allows you to use the ‘t’ lane at the toll booths and automatically collects payment.
If you are like us, it means no messing about with a cup holder full of Euro coins and the passenger tasked with trying to reach the slot to insert the required amount when the width of the caravan means it’s just slightly too far to reach, but too close to open the door.
So, in preparation for our return trip to France I went on to the website that Chris had given me. Sanef Tolling UK Ltd is a UK company based in Harrogate wholly owned by Sanef France for the purpose of supplying these little devices to UK drivers. Liber-t is the French national télépéage scheme for light vehicles operated by the members of ASFA, the association of French motorway operators on behalf of the French government. The scheme operates across the entire autoroute network and a Liber-t tag can even be used to pay for parking at some car parks.
To use the service all you need to do is register online and they will send you a small electronic transponder (or tag) that you attach to your windscreen just behind the rear-view mirror. As you approach the barriers, a device by the barrier will read your tag, securely extract your unique reference and then automatically open the barrier without you having to stop. You will receive an invoice the following month for your tolls and then around 15 days later they automatically collect the payment in £ (GBP) from your bank account by direct debit.
The web site is easy to use and registering for the device is simple. A deposit is required for the device and a UK bank account. It took me less than 5 minutes to complete the process. Once you have finished, they will not send a tag out untill you have authenticated your account, which is really easy… they just send you an email with a link in it. You click on the link to authenticate the account and shortly after you receive a second email thanking you for authenticating your account. And that is all there is to it. A few days later your tag will arrive and it’s just a simple matter of fixing it to the windscreen near your mirror. There are instructions with the tag on where and how to fix it, but it’s all on the web site anyway.
There is a really good FAQ page on the website that explains the different classes (nearly all car-caravan combinations will be class 2), charges etc and a short presentation on which lanes to use… basically any with a ‘T’ logo…. except the height restricted ones of course. In most cases you can just slow down to less than 30Kmh through the lane and you don’t even have to stop!
So if you want to make your next trip to France even easier click on the link and get tagged up!
Sanef UK Liber-t Automated Toll Payment Service
Now… just have to plan where we are going to go in France…. so many places, so many croissants, so little time!
See you there!
S
PS… Sanef UK are currently negotiating to allow the use of the tag on the Dartford Crossing, M6 Toll, Severn Crossing and in Spain… keep an eye on their website for more news!
Caravan Chronicles 
Just returned from our fortnight in France (Vendee) – weather was iffy for the first week, but much more like you’d want/expect in the second.
The Sanef transponder gadget for the tolls was fantastic. No mauling about looking for the ticket from the last booth, or trying to get close enough for SWMBO to reach the ticket machine without clobbering the side of the caravan. We mostly used the wider extreme right lane that the HGVs used, you just drive slowly up to the barrier, the gadget peeps & the barrier lifts.
Brilliant!
Thanks Simon for the heads up. 🙂
Hi Andy
Thanks for the feedback, glad you found the info useful.
S
We’re in Albi (tarn) with the caravan right now; very hot! Waiting for Friday when the Tour de France arrives. Meanwhile it’s a lovely town and there’s lots to see around and about in this area. A trip to the magnificant viaduct at Millau is on the cards too!
Hi Neville
For some reason I missed your reply ……
France still sounds good to me. I played E flat bass many many many moons ago in the RN volunteer band …… I wonder if I can still remember? lol
Regards Andy
Hi
I always like to read about caravan “expeditions” to France since I already live there!
I read the piece about the motorway badge transponder device; as far as I am aware this can only be used for light vehicles (ie cars and small vans) under 2m in height. To use the “télépéage” you have to go through one of the height restricted toll barriers and most caravans are over height.
The leaflet (in French) here : http://www.sanef.com/var/sanef/storage/images/import/notice_utilisation_telepeage.pdf
explains that if, exceptionally, you use the badge with a vehicle other than the allowed ones, you have to take a ticket as normal on entry to the motorway and present the ticket and badge at the toll both on leaving the motorway, and your account will be charges appropriately.
The system is designed primarily for cars making regular trips, but many people find it useful even if making only ocasional use.
Most holidaymakers find that using a credit card is the most convenient way to pay; the toll booths accept all major cards (even UK ones!!).
Correction! Apologies!
A Class 2 badge (for caravans) is available! I didn’t know this, so I live and learn.
If you plan to travel on the A28 from the Channel ports towards Rouen and beyond, it would be worth purchsing form this company:
http://www.alis-sa.com/fr/offres/libertConfort.php
which offers a discount on its own network. You can still use tha badge anywhere in France but at the normal prices.
Hi Neville
You just had me re-reading the Sanef UK website then! https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/
On most toll points there is a ‘t’ lane that isn’t height restricted (usually the extreme right hand one that is wider apparently) but if there isn’t a unrestricted height ‘t’ lane, apparently you just hand the tag to the attendant and they scan the barcode and the charge is added to your account in the normal way.
Cheers
S
Yes, I understand now. I did apologise for jumping in. The disadvantage, if there is one, of having a class2 badge, would be that if you do any solo touring from your campsite base and use the motorways, then you would possibly be charged at the higher rate. It’s not very clear to me.
Hi Neville
I asked a similar question and the reply was this happens both ways… people with a class 1 tag sometimes towing and people with a class 2 tag sometimes not towing. The first time you use the tag is is set to whatever class you are by handing it in to the attendant or the lane detecting the vehicle/trailer. From then on, if you change category (class) just hand the badge to the attendant and they scan it and set the charge for that trip at the correct class. Some of the booths detect what class you are and just adjust the charge on your tag automatically.
S
Ah, thanks Simon. Works OK if you don’t change around then. I’ve been meaning to get one of these badges for about 3 years! We don’t use the motorway system very often, but each time we do… “drat! should have got the badge!” It would be particulalry useful at peak holiday times when the manual booths often have long queues. The credit card lanes are much shorter (until you get behind someone who can’t find his card!) and I guess the auto lanes just keep flowing. your article has made me make a note to do it today!!!
Hi Neville
Can I just say that I’m slightly ……well …. very jealous of you living the life in French France. I’d like to think that it would be better than here in Blighty (Please don’t don’t burst the bubble 😉 ) SWMBO won’t even consider it because she/we/I don’t parlez Francais ……. but I’m sure that could be worked around. LOL
Regards Andy
Hi Andy
Our move followed nearly 30 years of caravan holidays in France, no particular favourite region, but we always loved the country and the people, despite what you sometimes hear about the French from some xenophobes back home!
There are some drawbacks (only a few) so I wouldn’t try to paint an unrealistically rosy picture, but on balance we feel better than we did in UK. We live in the country and in many ways it is like being in England 50 years ago, and we certainly don’t feel any security problems. It is quiet and the weather is better. The language can be an issue; I was good at French at school (50 years ago!!) but I’ve kept it up. My wife has had to learn more or less from scratch. Anyone thinking of moving here would be well-advised to take a course in French beforehand if they don’t speak it already.
Perhaps the biggest problem is entry into the health system; being retired makes it easier but I was 57 when we came and that posed a problem, but things have changed in any case and cases are treated on individual merits.
I play the trombone and joined 3 bands here, and that has helped with making friends.
I can safely say I won’t be moving back!
Regards
Neville
Hi Andy
When you hear back from Sanef could you post back here so that any others following will have the info too.
Cheers
S
Hi All
After an initial reply that just restated the above from the website I asked again for clarification.
The reply was:- As your car or your caravan dose [sic] not exceed 3.5 tonnes you will be charged at Class 2 toll rate.
It looks like the automated t lanes might be viable then, even when towing with a heavy 4×4
Cheers Andy
Hi Andy
Well that’s good news!
You will be able to use the tag system and you won’t be paying higher Class 3 charges!
Cheers
S
Thanks for that Simon ….. very useful & bears thinking about for our French visit this year.
My question though. How do the booths know whether you’re over or under 3 & half tonnes? I’ve paid as I’ve gone along in previous years, but I’ll be towing with a somewhat heavier car this year (gross weight almost 2900kg) plus a caravan with a gross weight of c1300kgs puts me way over ….. Class 3 if I interpret it correctly which apparently excludes me from the automatic T lanes
Hi Andy
The lanes have axle counters in the road and side sensors to detect what physical size vehicle it is. I don’t know if this includes axle weight pads in the lane.
From the Sanef site….
Intermediate Vehicles
>Vehicle with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW* not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
>Train with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW* of towing vehicle not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
Now this is interesting. In the first sentence it is a vehicle of overall height and gross vehicle weight. In the second sentence it is a “train” of overall height and TOWING VEHICLE not exceeding 3500Kg. It does not say ‘train weight’ only towing vehicle.
So my interpretation of that is your towing vehicle is under 3500Kg GVW and you are Class 2.
We did see some big minibus type vehicles and mahoosive american 4 x 4’s towing big caravans going through the ‘t’ lanes using tags and I recon they were topping 5000Kg’s train weight.
Cheers
S
Thanks for that Simon …… I can feel an email to Yarkshire Sanef 😉
Very useful info. Sally and I are taking our first trip to France in a months time, staying for 2 months to canoe the Dordogne and the Marais Poitevan. We have booked a few sites but because it is the low season and we have been advised that it isn’t really necessary to book and so we will leave a good part of the holiday to go where ever fancy takes us! We first came across Simon’s excellent blog because I was looking for the intricacies of French reverse polarity and following his instructions we now have every conceivable form of connection possible!
Hi Nigel
Glad you have found some of my ramblings useful !
Top Tip for travelling out of season… or early/late season.. have an alternative site in mind for each location you are planning. Some of the sites in France seem to have a habit of not being open when stated in the CC & C & CC european guides. Our friends went ti Italy via France in Feb & March and got caught out four or five times like this.
If some sites only have two or three bookings for the start of the season, they don’t bother opening as it’s not worth it and you only know when you turn up.
As we found out too with the Municipal sites, if the person that runs it goes on holiday, they simply shut the site, hence we spent a night in the site car park along with a group of other Motorhomers and Caravanners.