It could be another 18 months before claims for damages from thousands of hauliers in relation to the truck manufacturers’ price-fixing cartel are resolved, according to a lawyer involved in the case.
Steven Meyerhoff, director at Backhouse Jones solicitors and head of commercial litigation, said a hearing before the Competition Appeal Tribunal could take place during the first quarter of 2021, but then the tribunal must make a decision on whether a trial should go ahead – probably sometime in 2022.
Backhouse Jones is working with the RHA on its claim, which has around 13,000 operators and 15,000 businesses and represents what is understood to be the largest class action group in Europe in relation to the truck cartel.
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A second proposed claim – UK Trucks Claim (UKTC) – is being backed by legal firm Weightmans.
Meyerhoff added that its own due diligence work suggested that businesses could claim an average of £6,000 per truck in damages.
Recent decisions in Spanish courts led to a percentage recovery claim for haulage operators of 5% and 15%.
Weightmans did not respond.