Scania appeals against €880m fine

Scania is to appeal against the €880 million fine imposed by the European Union saying it “strongly contests all the findings and allegations” of participation in a commercial vehicle cartel.

The European Commission has imposed fines totalling €3.8 billion on six manufacturers following a 14 year investigation into the allegations of collusion on pricing.

In a statement, Scania said it had “reviewed today’s decision by the European Commission concerning inappropriate exchange of information during the period of 1997-2011, and will appeal against it”.

“Scania strongly contests all the findings and allegations made by the European Commission, and will appeal against the decision in its entirety.

“Scania also emphasises that it has co-operated fully with the European Commission by providing it with requested information and explanations throughout the entire investigation period,” it said.

The Road Haulage Association is encouraging commercial vehicle operators to join its claim for compensation from the truck manufacturers.

RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said Scania’s fine “confirms how serious the EU truck cartel was – it takes the overall fine imposed for the cartel to almost €4 billion. However, the fine does nothing to compensate truck operators for the increased costs they have suffered because of the cartel.

“The RHA is leading the way in the UK to obtain compensation for the haulage industry and has almost 2,000 operators signed up to its group claim.

“I hope the fine on Scania today will persuade those truck operators who have not yet signed up to the RHA’s claim (perhaps because they purchased or leased Scania trucks) now to do so. “

The RHA has set up a web site for operators wishing to join the claim.