Washington, D.C. — The American Economic Liberties Project and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) today sent a joint letter urging the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into private equity-driven consolidation in fire truck and emergency vehicle manufacturing. The letter calls on federal antitrust enforcers to address the market dominance of firms like REV Group, Oshkosh, and Rosenbauer, whose market power has driven up prices, delayed delivery times, and weakened frontline emergency response.
“Over the past decade, private equity firms have rolled up dozens of independent fire truck and emergency equipment manufacturers, leaving just three dominant players in control of most of the market, and by extension, some of America’s most important first responders” said Nidhi Hegde, Executive Director of the American Economic Liberties Project. “This consolidation is textbook monopolization—leading to price gouging, plant closures, and years-long delivery backlogs that put communities in danger. It’s time for antitrust enforcers to act before this chokehold on emergency infrastructure does even more damage to fire departments across the nation.”
“Fire fighters and emergency medical workers cannot do our jobs without safe, reliable equipment. Without it, cities and towns across America are less safe,” said Edward A. Kelly, General President, International Association of Fire Fighters. “Consolidation among fire apparatus manufacturers, largely controlled by private equity profiteers, is driving up costs and delays of critical vehicles. In the meantime, fire fighters are left using old, unsafe apparatus to respond to emergencies in communities across America. We cannot allow Wall Street interests to put profits over public safety.”
The letter outlines how private equity-driven consolidation, led by firms like American Industrial Partners (AIP), has transformed a once-competitive fire truck market into a concentrated oligopoly dominated by REV Group (holding roughly one-third of the U.S. market), Oshkosh (approximately 25%), and Rosenbauer. Prices have surged dramatically, with pumper trucks now costing around $1 million and ladder trucks exceeding $2 million. Meanwhile, delivery delays have reached up to 4.5 years, leaving municipalities reliant on outdated and defective equipment.
The effort follows a January 2025 piece from antitrust lawyer Basel Musharbash for The BIG Newsletter, which brought many of these concerns to light in the wake of the LA fires. As the piece and the letter explain, fire departments across the country are being forced to operate outdated, unreliable equipment as prices for ladder and pumper trucks exceed $2 million and delivery delays stretch four years or longer. Some cities have had to lay off fire fighters or cancel training programs due to cost increases. Others, including Los Angeles, have suffered deadly consequences, with more than 100 trucks out of service during recent wildfires.
REV Group alone reported a $4.2 billion U.S. backlog in 2024, while Oshkosh logged a global backlog of $5.3 billion. Local governments from major cities like Houston and Seattle to small towns like Grant, Pennsylvania, are struggling to procure equipment despite rising public safety needs and federal disaster funds. The letter also calls for an FTC 6(b) study of consolidation across fire-related equipment, software, and supply markets—including dispatch systems and air packs—and highlights security risks posed by monopolized digital systems.
Read the full letter here.
Learn more about Economic Liberties here.
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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.