The RHA expects the long-running truck cartel compensation claim to reach a conclusion within the next 12 months, according to MD Richard Smith (pictured).
Speaking to MT sister title Commercial Motor, Smith said: “I expect a result within the next 12 months.” He added that any subsequent distribution of funds to operators could take up to a further year.
The claim follows a 2016 European Commission decision which found that a number of major truck manufacturers had breached EU competition law between 1997 and 2011. The Commission imposed fines totalling several billion euros.
The RHA subsequently launched collective proceedings on behalf of UK operators seeking compensation. In August 2024, it secured a Collective Proceedings Order (CPO), allowing the claim to proceed under the UK’s collective actions regime.
Smith said the case has taken time because legal and funding issues had to be addressed during the process.
“It has the potential to be a multi-hundred-million-pound settlement,” he said.
He acknowledged frustration at the length of the proceedings, adding: “This could have been resolved five or six years ago.”
The case could either settle or proceed to judgment. “Most cases settle. I hope this one does,” Smith said.
