The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has been given the thumbs up to move forward to pursue compensation for operators after a price fixing cartel of truck manufacturers was found to have broken competition rules.
The RHA was granted a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO) and given the go-ahead by the Competition Appeal Tribunal to seek compensation for more than 18,000 operators.
It has been 10 years since the cartel of truck manufacturers (DAF, Iveco, Daimler-Mercedes, Renault-Volvo, Scania and MAN) was found by the European Commission to have breached competition law between 1997-2011 and fined almost £2.5bn for their activity.
In 2018, the RHA launched its class action against the truck cartel to obtain compensation for road transport operators who purchased or leased trucks from 1997 onwards. Operators can claim for the difference between what they paid for their trucks and what they would have paid if the cartel had not existed.
RHA MD Richard Smith said: “Today marks a significant landmark and I’d like to thank those who have registered for their patience and perseverance with us over this long journey together.
“During a recent hearing one of the manufacturers, DAF’ indicated that they wish to settle. It may therefore be possible to conclude the claim before long, although this requires agreement between the parties.”
