Fire Truck Antitrust Claims: Were Production Delays Deliberate?
July 1, 2026
Every fire chief has noticed it: fire trucks are simply taking too long to produce. What's less obvious is whether those delays are just an unfortunate byproduct of supply chains — or something more deliberate. A pending federal case alleges the latter.
What's Alleged in This Case
The litigation, consolidated as MDL 3179, alleges that there may have been coordination among fire apparatus manufacturers related to delays that created an unnecessary backlog of fire trucks — and that this backlog may have put fire departments and the public at risk. According to the allegations, these delays were potentially deliberate, not merely the result of ordinary production constraints, and were designed in a way that created artificial scarcity in fire truck production. These are allegations only, and the case remains in active litigation.
What This Means for Your Department
If your department has experienced unusually long wait times for a new fire truck since 2016 — delays that left your fleet stretched thin or forced you to keep aging apparatus in service longer than planned — that experience may be directly relevant to this litigation. A free case review can help your department understand whether these delays connect to a potential claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long of a delay is considered relevant?
There's no fixed cutoff — a case review can help evaluate your department's specific timeline against the allegations.
Are delays alone enough for a claim, without a price increase?
Delays and pricing are often connected in the allegations, but it's worth discussing your specific situation regardless.
What should we bring to a case review regarding delays?
Order dates, promised delivery dates, and actual delivery dates are all useful.
Watch attorney Peter Bowman explain the artificial backlog allegations: Artificial Backlogs (YouTube).
If your department has faced significant fire truck production delays since 2016, contact BBB Attorneys for a free case review to discuss this important claim.
