More than 7,800 truck operators have signed up or registered to the Road Haulage Association’s claim for compensation from a group of commercial vehicle manufacturers who were found to be operating a price fixing cartel.
The claim, estimated to be worth more than £1.5bn, follows the 2016 European Commission ruling that a number of truck manufacturers had been illegally fixing truck prices between 1997 and 2011.
The RHA has published a legal notice ahead of a Competition Appeal Tribunal hearing in June which will decide whether the Association will be appointed class representative to go ahead with its compensation claim.
RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett said: “The truck cartel operated for 14 years and it’s likely that its impact on truck prices continued even beyond that. We’re working tirelessly to ensure that truck operators who suffered as a result get the compensation they deserve.”
Steven Meyerhoff, a director at Backhouse Jones, who leads the RHA’s external legal team said: “We are one step closer to having the CAT approve the RHA’s proposed collective claim against the truck manufacturers.
The Collective Proceedings Order Application and Hearing Notice gives interested parties the opportunity to submit written comments on the RHA’s application, and/or to seek to make oral comments at the hearing. The notice also covers a competing application brought by UK Trucks Claim Limited.
“If the RHA is successful in being appointed class representative, this will be the first case of its kind under the new regime and will mark an important shift towards ensuring that those who suffer financial harm at the hands of competition law infringers get the redress they deserve.”
