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Lawsuits Accuse Major Fire Truck Companies of Coordinating to Raise Prices

By  |  November 4, 2025

Oshkosh Corp. and two other major fire truck manufacturers are facing a series of lawsuits that accuse them of participating in a widespread price-fixing conspiracy that allegedly inflated the cost of emergency vehicles across the United States, according to Reuters.

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    The latest case was filed by the Newstead Fire Company of western New York in a federal court in Wisconsin, where two similar proposed class actions are already underway. The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association, which is also named as a defendant, has not yet responded to requests for comment, per Reuters.

    The lawsuits claim that since at least 2016, the manufacturers coordinated through their trade association to share confidential financial data, restrict production, and drive up prices in violation of U.S. antitrust laws. Plaintiffs in the cases argue that fire truck costs have doubled over the past decade, with standard pumper trucks now averaging around $1 million and ladder trucks exceeding $2 million. According to Reuters, municipalities say these inflated prices have forced them to keep older trucks in operation longer, posing risks to public safety and placing additional strain on local budgets.

    Read more: US Firefighters’ Union Urges Antitrust Probe Into Fire Truck Industry

    The suits seek triple damages as allowed under antitrust law, along with court orders to end the alleged illegal conduct.

    The legal challenges come amid heightened scrutiny of consolidation in the fire truck manufacturing industry. In April, Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts warned that mergers and acquisitions led by private equity firms have increased costs and worsened shortages of firefighting vehicles, according to Reuters. The senators highlighted a series of takeovers by American Industrial Partners, a private equity firm that began acquiring independent fire truck companies in 2006. The firm, which is not a defendant in the lawsuits, declined immediate comment.

    In May, the nation’s largest firefighters’ labor union called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to open an antitrust investigation into the sector, citing concerns that market consolidation has limited competition and driven up prices for essential emergency equipment.

    Source: Reuters