Trucks Cartel


In July 2016, the European Commission imposed record fines of EUR 2.93 billion on the trucks manufacturers MAN, Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Iveco, and DAF for engaging in a 14-year long cartel, from 1997 through 2011. The following year, in September of 2017, the Commission fined the remaining cartelist Scania for an amount of  EUR 880 million. The cartelists coordinated prices for medium and heavy trucks, delayed the introduction of EURO III-IV emissions technologies and passed on to their customers the costs of meeting EU emissions standards.

After the Commission issued the decisions, various direct and indirect purchasers of trucks filed private enforcement actions across Europe for compensation of the damage caused by the cartel. Scott+Scott represents seven large indirect purchasers, companies that purchased vast amounts of truck transport from transport companies. These indirect purchasers are the true victims of the cartel as the transport companies passed all of their costs, including the costs of trucks, onto their customers.

Links to Commission press statements: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_16_2582 (settling parties) and https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_17_3502 (Scania)

Tags:

Antitrust