Over two hundred medium-sized logistics companies are demanding compensation from the truck manufacturers involved in the cartel. The companies want DAF, Volvo/Renault, MAN, Daimler and Iveco to pay compensation of 100 million euros.
A German industry association filed the claim today, ANP reported. It is not expected to stop at this claim. Transport en Logistiek Nederland (TLN) also called on Dutch transport companies to come forward earlier. The trade association is said to be preparing a claim against the truck manufacturers.
Billion-dollar fine for price-fixing cartel
The truck manufacturers were fined by the European Commission last year because of the price agreements they made for years. The manufacturers formed a cartel for 14 years, as a result of which some 600 thousand transporters paid too much for their trucks. The cartel members had been talking to each other since 1997. This was done by phone and at trade fairs and other events. From 2004, information was also exchanged digitally and the companies communicated through some German subsidiaries. The manufacturers not only agreed on prices, but also consulted when they introduced new, cleaner truck engines. They also agreed on how to pass on the cost of this new emission technology to customers. The European Commission fined the companies over €2.9 billion in 2016. Daimler received the highest fine: a sum of €1 billion. MAN, as the only manufacturer in the cartel, did not have to pay a fine because it sounded the alarm with the European Commission.
Some 240,000 trucks were allegedly sold in the Netherlands during the 14 years of the cartel. The extra cost to buyers in several countries would total €1.2 billion.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
