Firetruck Manufacturing Antitrust Litigation

CASE BACKGROUND 

The nation’s bravest need fire trucks to combat fires and protect life and property. Yet soaring prices and a severe backlog in fire truck manufacturing have constrained firefighters’ ability to carry out their essential mission. From the mid-2010s to now, the price of fire trucks more than doubled and the delivery time almost tripled. Neither market principles nor inflation explain these drastic changes.
Without the timely, affordable supply of new fire trucks, fire departments have been unable to maintain an adequate fleet of fire trucks, putting cities and towns across the country at risk. In January 2025, for example, wildfires raged through Los Angeles, destroying entire neighborhoods and leading to hundreds of deaths. At the time the fires broke out, 100 of the 183 fire trucks owned by the Los Angeles Fire Department were out of service.

A New York-based private equity firm, American Industrial Partners (AIP), founded and controlled REV Group, Inc., the largest fire truck manufacturer in the United States. Since entering the fire truck manufacturing industry, AIP allegedly executed a series of acquisitions to consolidate the market and entrench REV Group’s position as a dominant firm.

As a result of AIP’s roll-up strategy, the fire truck manufacturing industry is no longer a competitive market. Instead, it is controlled by the three largest manufacturers: Rev Group, Oshkosh, and Rosenbauer. All three manufacturers allegedly conspired to hike prices and restrict the supply of fire trucks. These companies conspired in part through the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA), which allegedly enabled fire truck manufacturers to collude and exchange confidential trade data.

Together, REV, Oshkosh, and Rosenbauer control about 80 percent of the U.S. fire truck market. By collaborating instead of competing with each other, they have been able to enjoy an unprecedented boost in profit margins and reinforce their control over the market, while causing a dangerous shortage of fire trucks nationwide.
These skyrocketing prices and fire truck shortages are not the results of a natural market. Rather, as REV Group’s former chief executive officer put it brutally but simply: “[I]n my entire career, it’s always been about making money, which in turn directly impacts shareholder value.” “You should know,” he continued, “that at REV, it’s all about making money.” 

In response to the fire apparatus crisis, a bipartisan group of lawmakers have recently sought information from fire truck manufacturers concerning potential antitrust violations. The Federal Trade Commission has also launched an investigation.

CASE FILED

On November 19, 2025, the Joseph Saveri Law Firm and co-counsel filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for District of Massachusetts on behalf of the city of Revere, whose firefighters have faced challenges maintaining a modern fire apparatus fleet to meet the fire protection needs of the city and its residents. The suit names as defendants REV Group; AIP; Oshkosh Corporation and Pierce Manufacturing, Inc.; Rosenbauer America LLC; and FAMA. The complaint alleges defendants systematically rolled up the U.S. fire apparatus market through a series of acquisitions of competitors, after which AIP and REV implemented strategies to leverage its renewed market power in a concentrated market. Plaintiffs allege that defendants used FAMA to exchange confidential and competitively sensitive information and that this alleged conspiracy allowed defendants to restrict supply and inflate the prices of fire trucks.
“Defendants crossed a line in this case that shouldn’t even be contemplated, let alone executed,” said Joseph Saveri of the Joseph Saveri Law Firm. “When it comes to fighting fires and having modern, highly efficient firetrucks to do so, the City of Revere, and many similar locations across the country, need our full support, not obstacles created by anticompetitive conduct. When it comes to fires, our lives are in danger and should never be subject to profit manipulations and arrangements benefitting the selective few.” 

CONTACT US

If you wish to inform us of any unfair business practice, antitrust or competition issue, or comment on one of our cases, please use the form below. There is no cost or obligation for our review of your case. We agree to protect your name and all confidential information you submit against disclosure, publication, or unauthorized use to the full extent under the law. Please note that completion of this form does not contractually obligate our firm to represent you. We can only represent you if both you and our firm agree, in writing, that we will serve as your attorney. Please read our disclaimer.