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European Truck Cartel – Do you have a claim?

European Truck Cartel – Do you have a claim?

In our latest CECA Scotland guest Blog, Richard Smith, Managing Director (Operational & Commercial) with the Road Haulage Association has written about the RHA’s collective claim to secure compensation to UK companies affected by the European truck cartel.

We would encourage eligible CECA Scotland members to sign up to the claim – there is no cost involved. The RHA will be delivering a short breakfast briefing on the collective claim on Thursday 6th December – full details are here. Please contact Glenda at CECA Scotland to secure a place

RHA seeks to return money owed to truck owners because of European trucks cartel

Richard Smith, Managing Director, RHA

“In July this year, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) started a collective claim in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London against the major European truck manufacturers to reclaim significant sums of money owed to any business that purchases or leases trucks.

You may well be entitled to join the collective claim and potentially receive £6,000 or more per truck you purchased or leased since 1997.  The collective claim, which is not limited to RHA members and covers all sectors, is being brought because the truck manufacturers were found guilty by the European Commission of illegally fixing truck prices over a 14-year period.

You might not be aware but DAF, Daimler/Mercedes, Iveco, Volvo/Renault, and Scania got together in secret between 1997 and 2011 to rig the prices of trucks in Europe, including the UK.  The cartel related to all truck types over 6 tonnes and is likely to have affected the prices paid by businesses across all sectors (including construction) that purchase or lease trucks.  As a result, the European trucks cartel is one of the biggest issues facing the haulage industry at this time.

Although the European Commission fined the truck manufacturers almost £4 billion for their illegal conduct, businesses affected by the cartel need to bring a claim before the courts if they want to recover money owed to them.  That is why the RHA decided to bring a collective claim against the truck manufacturers and, as the trade body dedicated to road haulage, is leading the industry charge to recover compensation.

The claim covers all types of trucks provided they are 6 tonnes or more.  It is not limited to new trucks but also covers second-hand trucks.  In addition, the claim extends to all makes of trucks and not merely trucks manufactured by the manufacturers involved in the cartel.  So, you can also claim for makes such as Hino and Isuzu.

Almost 5,000 truck operators have already signed up to the RHA’s collective claim and a further 1,000 have registered their interest and are in the process of signing up.  This includes operators of all sizes from owner operators up to companies with over 1,000 trucks in their fleets.  It also covers all sectors.

It is not though too late to join the RHA’s legal action which you can do using the simple sign-up process at www.truckcartellegalaction.com

It is probably worth emphasising that there is no cost or risk in joining the RHA collective claim.  The claim is being paid for by a specialist litigation funder who will take a small percentage (currently estimated at 8-10%) of the compensation awarded to truck operators.  The RHA has also taken out a significant insurance policy to protect itself and all operators signing up to its collective claim.

If you are interested in finding out more about the RHA’s collective claim, I would encourage you to visit www.truckcartellegalaction.com where you will find responses to a large number of FAQs.  You can also contact the RHA on 01733 261131.”