Some three thousand Dutch transport companies are filing a claim against the six truck manufacturers that formed a cartel for years. The manufacturers are demanding a total of 250 million euros. That amount could rise if more companies come forward.
The claim has been filed by MKB-Claim, which claims it represents three thousand companies. The transport companies together bought 24,000 trucks during the period of the cartel at a price that was allegedly artificially inflated, according to NIS. Between €10,000 and €16,000 per truck was allegedly overpaid.
Record fine for truck cartel
Major manufacturers such as DAF, Volvo, Scania, MAN, Iveco, Renault and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) were involved in the cartel and made prohibited price agreements between 1997 and 2011. In 2016, the European Commission imposed a record fine totalling €2.93 billion on the cartel.
Read also: 'Statute of limitations for truck cartel claims looms'
Settlement
MKB-Claim hopes to reach a settlement through the courts. "If that fails, we will focus entirely on DAF in further proceedings," Simon Zuurbier of MKB-Claim said in a press release. All participants in the cartel are jointly and severally liable. DAF can thus be sued for the total damages of the cartel and thus also for the damages of companies that bought trucks from other brands. The case can be fully litigated in the Netherlands via this route. Zuurbier: "We obviously hope that it does not have to come to that and that a settlement can be reached with all manufacturers."
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