Expertise centre
Trucks cartel: legal framework and European case law
Commission decision, antitrust directive, Court of Justice ruling: the legal foundation that makes your claim admissible across the 27 member states.
Three European pillars make your action admissible
The European Commission decision is proof of the infringement beyond challenge. National civil courts no longer rule on whether the cartel existed, only on quantifying each haulier’s loss. European law calls this the binding effect.
Directive 2014/104/EU then establishes a legal presumption that cartels inflate prices. It protects direct buyers and lessees alike by organising proof that the overcharge was passed on.
Finally, the irrevocable dismissal of Scania’s appeal by the Court of Justice closed the administrative chapter and pushed back limitation periods across Europe.
Loss is quantified, not presumed
Calculating damages goes well beyond the direct overcharge of 10 to 20 % of the net price. The main financial lever is the compounding of statutory late payment interest accrued over twelve to twenty-eight years.
This framework applies to every brand, from the Mercedes-Benz file to the Scania file, and to every arrangement, from outright purchase to hire purchase.
The five analyses in the expertise centre
Our lawyers and econometricians set out every technical aspect, from the founding decision to the choice between immediate liquidity and maximum yield.
Case AT.39824 explained
How the collusion worked, the delayed Euro standards and the breakdown of the EUR 3.8bn in fines.
Limitation periods 2026-2029
Deadlines compared across France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain after the Scania ruling.
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 truck bought new in 2005 at EUR 100,000 net, the 15 % direct overcharge is EUR 15,000. With twenty-one years of interest at 4 % per year the claim reaches EUR 34,182. The interest alone, EUR 19,182, exceeds the original overcharge.
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.
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