The RHA now has a non-confidential version of the European Commission (EC) settlement decision in the Truck Cartel case. The Association is applying to represent the haulage industry in seeking to reclaim the overpayment transport firms made for their vehicles during the period the cartel operated – from 1997 to 2011 – and potentially beyond. The EC document provides a glimpse of the extensive and broad-ranging nature of the Truck Cartel, giving key details of how the cartel was organised and how the European truck manufacturers colluded anti-competitively on truck pricing and emissions technologies. The main points are:
- MAN, Daimler, Iveco, Volvo/Renault and DAF admit they broke EU competition rules.
- Between 1997 and 2004, anti-competitive meetings between senior managers of the firms at headquarter level took place several times a year at trade fairs and other events and there were regular exchanges by phone and email. From 2002 onwards, there were regular meetings among business persons of the firms’ German subsidiaries who would report back to their respective headquarters.
- The manufacturers harmonized their respective gross price lists across the European Economic Area (EEA) at the outset of the cartel.
- They colluded on gross (and sometimes net) price increases for medium and heavy trucks throughout the EEA. This included exchanging detailed spreadsheets showing intended future prices split by truck standard model for each manufacturer.
- The manufacturers discussed reducing rebates when the Euro (€) was introduced.
- The manufacturers agreed on the timing of the introduction of new vehicle emission technologies, as well as how much to charge for the emissions technologies.
The detail contained in the document is further evidence of the importance of the RHA’s large-scale legal action against the manufacturers to reclaim the cost of overpayment for members and they are appealing for transport firms – whether they are members or not – to get in touch if they want compensation. There is no cost to haulage firms in joining the legal action.
A detailed summary document can be found here.
