Did your fire department or municipality order a new firetruck in the last 10 years? You may have paid artificially inflated prices and experienced manufacturing delays due to an alleged conspiracy between firetruck manufacturers. Fill out the form »
Hagens Berman and co-counsel Crueger Dickinson LLC have filed the first-of-its-kind antitrust class-action lawsuit against three firetruck manufacturers and the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA), alleging they conspired to artificially restrain production and raise prices, impacting fire departments and municipalities across the country.
The case was initiated independently by Hagens Berman, without any prior government investigation, and represents the first legal action brought regarding the impact of the high pricing of firetrucks for municipalities, marking the first critical step toward accountability and public protection.
WHAT'S THE ISSUE?
In the last ten years, firetruck prices have doubled — more than inflation alone can account for — and wait times for new firetruck orders have increased from 18 months to longer than four years.
The complaint alleges that due to artificially inflated prices and widespread production backlogs, communities across the country are being forced to keep aging equipment on their front lines long after recommended retirement dates, leaving communities and citizens compromised.
Our attorneys believe that communities and the fire departments that serve them deserve better. If you are a leader in a fire department or municipality experiencing this issue, please reach out to our legal team. »
ABOUT THE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY
The lawsuit alleges that FAMA played a key role in the alleged conspiracy by facilitating the exchange of competitive economic data between the defendants, which control 70-80% of the U.S. firetruck manufacturing market. According to attorneys, FAMA allegedly sends data collected from the manufacturers to a third-party consultant, which compiles it into reports that FAMA distributes back to the manufacturers. Further, attorneys allege this data facilitation and distribution allows the defendants to allegedly coordinate price increases and suppress firetruck production. FAMA also sponsors annual meetings, providing an in-person forum for manufacturers to communicate directly.
Through the alleged conspiracy, manufacturers have been able to drive costs up for potentially thousands of communities across the country, simply to boost the manufacturers’ profits.
AFFECTED FIRETRUCK BRANDS
The named manufacturers involved in this lawsuit are REV Group, Inc., Oshkosh Corporation and Rosenbauer America LLC.
REV Group manufactures equipment under the following brand names:
- E-ONE, Inc.
- Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corporation
- Ferrara Fire Apparatus
- Spartan Emergency Response and Spartan Fire Apparatus and Chassis
- Smeal Fire Apparatus
- Ladder Tower Company
Oshkosh Corporation manufactures its equipment under these brand names:
- Pierce Manufacturing, Inc.
- JLG Industries, Inc.
- JerrDan LLC, Hinowa S.p.A
- AUSACORP S.L.
- Oshkosh AeroTech
- McNeilus Companies, Inc.
- Oshkosh Commercial Products, LLC
- Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Inc.
- Maxi-Metal, Inc.
- Kewaunee Fabrications, LLC
- Oshkosh Defense, LLC
- Pratt & Miller Engineering & Fabrications, LLC
FIRETRUCK COSTS & DELAYS – THEN VS. NOW
| Mid-2010s | 2025 | |
| Pumper truck cost* | $300,000 - $500,000 | $1 million |
| Ladder truck cost* | $750,000 - $900,000 | $2 million |
| Wait times for new firetrucks ordered from defendant manufacturers | 18 months | Up to, if not more than, 4 years |
| Years of service for current firetruck fleet vehicles | 15-20 years | Up to, if not more than, 30 years |
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*Average prices based on available information. Prices do not reflect additional costs for local specifications or customizations to equipment, which vary by locality, emergency response needs and more. |
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FIRETRUCK MANUFACTURERS USE RETROACTIVE PRICE HIKES
In addition to the increased overall cost of firetrucks across the country, attorneys have uncovered that fire departments have allegedly been met with so-called “floating prices,” or retroactive price increases, from the manufacturers. The lawsuit alleges that defendants used the widespread industry backlog as an excuse for increasing the final price of new firetrucks after they go into production.
NATIONAL ANTITRUST LITIGATION LAW FIRM
Hagens Berman is home to some of the most well-respected and successful plaintiffs’ lawyers experienced in price-fixing, monopolistic schemes and other violations of competition law. Since its founding in 1993, the firm has achieved total settlements valued at more than $340 billion against major institutions for allegedly fraudulent behavior, including manufacturers, tech companies, the mortgage market, utility companies and other negligent parties.
NO COST TO YOU
In no case will any class member ever be asked to pay any out-of-pocket sum. In the event Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement that provides benefits to class members, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the class's legal team..
