Manufacturers
Trucks cartel: compensation claims by manufacturer
Six European makers ran a price-fixing cartel on heavy goods vehicles over 6 tonnes. Each brand has its own eligible models and its own limitation timetable.
Comparative analysis of the sanctions
The investigation by the Directorate-General for Competition found that the manufacturers concerned controlled more than 90 % of the European market for medium and heavy trucks. The Commission imposed a record total fine of nearly EUR 3.8 billion for coordinating gross prices and for delaying emission control technology.
One point deserves emphasis: a haulier can group every vehicle in the fleet into a single claim, however many different brands the fleet contains.
|
Manufacturer |
EU fine |
Legal status and specifics of the claim |
|---|---|---|
|
EUR 1.01bn |
Settlement. Largest individual fine of the cartel. |
|
|
EUR 880m |
Upheld by the CJEU in 2024. Limitation extended to 2028-2029. |
|
|
EUR 752m |
Main anchor for collective actions before the Amsterdam court. |
|
|
EUR 670m |
Joint and several liability across both brands. |
|
|
EUR 494m |
Claims open across the full heavy range. |
|
|
EUR 0 |
Leniency immunity, but 100 % liable in civil law. |
The financing arrangement never limits your right
Whatever the brand, eligibility depends neither on the financing arrangement nor on the current status of the vehicle. The rules are identical whatever the financing: see outright purchase or credit, leasing and hire purchase, long-term hire and trucks sold or scrapped.
Contracts taken out with the manufacturers’ captive finance houses incorporate the cartel overcharge and therefore give rise to a claim in the same way as a direct purchase.
The six manufacturer files
Each brand has its own legal profile, eligible models and limitation timetable. Open the file for the manufacturer in your fleet.
How your claim is calculated
The original overcharge is only part of your claim. The decisive lever is the compounding of statutory late payment interest, accrued over twelve to twenty-eight years.
Worked example for a mixed fleet of 15 trucks made up of 5 Mercedes Actros, 5 Volvo FH and 5 DAF XF bought between 2002 and 2010: base loss around EUR 225,000, accrued interest around EUR 250,000, giving total claimable compensation of roughly EUR 475,000.
Eligibility check
Send us your invoices, lease agreements, registration documents or asset registers covering 1997 to 2014.
Audit and firm offer
Our lawyers and econometricians quantify your claim within four weeks.
Guided decision
You choose between a cash purchase of your claim within 30 days and litigation on a success-fee basis.
Payment released
The compensation is credited directly to your company bank account.
Frequently asked questions
Continue in the other sections
All the analyses in this section, plus the back to the homepage for the overview.
Start the free audit of your fleet
Whatever the brand, our experts assess your eligibility with no commitment and no upfront fee.
Or write directly to contact@truckcartelclaim.com