Law firm De Haan, like Transport en Logistiek Nederland and MKB-Claim, is demanding compensation for the price-fixing agreements truck manufacturers have made for years. The firm says it represents several hundred victims.
The law firm is starting proceedings against DAF and the other truck manufacturers. The stakes are compensation for the transport companies that overpaid an average of 10,000 euros for trucks due to the cartel. The manufacturers will receive a subpoena through the bus from De Haan.
At the end of July, some three thousand Dutch transport companies already filed a claim against the truck manufacturers through MKB-CLAIM. They are jointly demanding 250 million euros. The companies bought a total of 24,000 trucks during the period of the cartel, with between 10,000 and 16,000 euros overpaid per truck.
Truck cartel
Major manufacturers such as DAF, Volvo, Scania, MAN, Iveco, Renault and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) concluded price agreements between 1997 and 2011. The manufacturers periodically coordinated truck price increases, which fought price competition and kept prices artificially high. The special software used by the manufacturers contained list prices of all models and options. This software replaced traditional price lists and was shared with each other, with the exception of DAF. Consultations between manufacturers took place by phone and e-mail. There were also meetings several times a year, especially in Germany.
They also held back the introduction of cleaner technology, presumably to get rid of old stock.
Scania pays full fine amount
Five manufacturers already signed a guilty plea last year, in exchange for a 10 per cent discount on their fines. They paid a total of €2.93 billion. Because Scania refused to sign, the truck manufacturer must now pay the full fine amount of 880 million euros. MAN was exempted from a fine as a tip-off.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
