Case AT.39824

Trucks cartel: recover the compensation owed to your fleet

Did you buy, lease or hire heavy goods vehicles over 6 tonnes between 1997 and 2014? Your business absorbed an artificial overcharge of 10 to 20 % on every vehicle.

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Legal case file open on a desk
EUR 3.8bn
in fines imposed by the European Commission

The case

Fourteen years of price fixing on heavy goods vehicles

From 1997 to 2011, the six leading European manufacturers secretly agreed on gross list prices and on the timing for introducing the Euro 3 to Euro 6 emission standards. Together they controlled around 90 % of the market for trucks over 6 tonnes.

  • Gross list prices harmonised across the continent
  • Coordinated delay of emission control technology
  • Compliance costs passed on in full to the buyer

The six manufacturers sanctioned

The administrative fine paid into the European Union budget does not compensate the victims. What it does is establish the infringement beyond challenge: before the civil courts you no longer have to prove the cartel existed, only to quantify your loss.

Manufacturer

Fine

Legal status

Daimler (Mercedes-Benz)

EUR 1.01bn

Settlement accepted in 2016

Scania AB

EUR 880m

Upheld by the Court of Justice in 2024, limitation period extended

DAF Trucks

EUR 752m

Settlement, collective actions centred on Amsterdam

Volvo / Renault Trucks

EUR 670m

Joint and several liability across both brands

Iveco S.p.A.

EUR 494m

Settlement accepted in 2016

MAN SE

EUR 0

Immunity under leniency, but fully liable in civil law

Official sources: European Commission decision IP/16/2582 and Directive 2014/104/EU.

Outright purchase or bank credit

The purchase invoice is direct proof of the overcharge paid on ordering. No third party can claim your entitlement.

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Finance lease and leasing

Rentals were calculated on an inflated purchase price. As the end lessee, you carried the surcharge.

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Long-term hire

Monthly rentals already included the overcharge from the day the vehicle entered service.

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Vehicles sold or scrapped

The loss crystallised on the day of purchase. Disposing of the vehicle does not erase it.

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01

Eligibility check

Send us your invoices, lease agreements, registration documents or asset registers covering 1997 to 2014.

02

Audit and firm offer

Our lawyers and econometricians quantify your claim within four weeks.

03

Guided decision

You choose between a cash purchase of your claim within 30 days and litigation on a success-fee basis.

04

Payment released

The compensation is credited directly to your company bank account.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on the manufacturer and the court seised. Claims against Daimler, DAF, Volvo, Renault Trucks and Iveco continue before the commercial courts. Claims against Scania remain widely open until 2027-2029, because its conviction was only confirmed by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2024.

At least one of the following is enough: the original purchase invoice or order form, a finance lease, leasing or long-term hire agreement, a period vehicle registration document, or an accounting fixed-asset certificate.

Yes. European law protects the entity that actually bore the financial burden of the overcharge. Neither the financing arrangement nor the current status of the vehicle affects your right to compensation.

Yes. The compensation claim is a financial asset belonging to the company. The appointed administrator or liquidator can assert it to pay creditors, or assign it immediately for cash.

Ready to recover what your fleet is owed?

Our experts assess your fleet free of charge and with no commitment. No legal fees to advance, payment on success only.

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Or write directly to contact@truckcartelclaim.com