The hearing will determine the next procedural steps in the case and give the parties a clearer indication of when the claim could eventually come to trial.

However, Richard Smith, RHA MD, is warning claimants that compensation is still likely to be some way off.

Announcing the latest development on LinkedIn, Smith said: “The Tribunal has now set a hearing date for the case management conference in the Road Haulage Association (RHA)’s truck cartel claim.

“This will take place on 13 October 2026 and will determine the next steps in the claim and when a trial is likely to take place.”

He added: “Once the case management conference has taken place, the RHA will be in a better position to advise on likely timescales to the completion of the matter however it expects that it will be at least a couple of years before compensation can be paid out if we are required to run the case to a full trial.”

The RHA and its subsidiary RHA Used Trucks have been authorised by the Competition Appeal Tribunal to bring the only collective claim on behalf of haulage operators in the UK against the truck manufacturers involved in the cartel, which include DAF, MAN, Daimler, Iveco and Volvo/Renault.

The claim is made up of companies, firms and individuals that purchased or leased a new truck between 17 January 1997 and 31 January 2014 or a used truck between 17 January 1997 and 31 January 2015. The period for opting into the claim ended on 28 February 2025.

The action stems from the European Commission’s 2016 decision that found several of Europe’s leading truck manufacturers had colluded over truck pricing and the timing and passing on of costs associated with emissions technologies between 1997 and 2011.

The Commission imposed record fines totalling almost €3bn after concluding the manufacturers had breached EU competition rules.

The RHA’s case has been progressing through the Competition Appeal Tribunal for several years, with extensive preparatory work taking place before it can proceed to trial.

The October case management conference is expected to establish the timetable for the next phase of proceedings and could provide the clearest indication yet of when the dispute will finally be heard.

Some operators have already reached settlements through separate legal actions against individual manufacturers, however the RHA’s collective claim is yet to be resolved.

Responding to the post on Linked In, Rhys Hackling, Direct Connect Logistics MD, welcomed the news and praised the RHA’s diligence, but added: “Just such a shame so many hauliers haven’t survived long enough to see the outcome.”