The Competition Commission of India has issued a cease and desist order against 10 Trailer Owner Association’s (TOA’s) for anti-competitive agreements.
These TOAs are alleged to have interfered with fixing tariffs for trailers. They also imposed a restriction upon the members of the National Association of Container Freight Station (NACFS/Informant) and their sister concerns, with regard to plying of their own trailers for movement of containers. These decisions were taken in trade association meetings, wherein these conditions were made to be agreed upon by the members of the NACFS on alleged threats of strikes.
None of the TOAs denied having participated in the meetings where such decisions of anti-competitive nature took place and the decisions are presumed to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition. The TOAs were found to have manipulated the market forces and narrowed the scope of competition through the aforesaid collective collusive action.