This is a long shot, but I wanted to share an idea that I believe could serve our fire departments and bring good jobs to Western North Carolina.

There is a huge need for a new company to build fire trucks. Over the past decade, many small, independent manufacturers have been bought up and rolled into a few large corporations. Fire departments now routinely wait two, three, or even four years for a new truck, and prices have climbed sharply.

What has happened to the industry

This is not just my opinion. It has been widely reported:

• A private equity roll-up. About ten years ago, the private equity firm American Industrial Partners began buying fire truck manufacturers across the country and combined them into a single conglomerate, REV Group. The firm divested from REV Group in 2024.
• Three companies control most of the market. REV Group is estimated to hold as much as 40% of the market, Oshkosh’s Pierce Manufacturing roughly 25 to 30%, and Rosenbauer a smaller share. Together, the three allegedly control 70 to 80% of all U.S. fire truck sales.
• Demand up, deliveries down. One expert noted that fire truck orders in 2022 were 45% higher than the 2011 to 2019 average, while trucks shipped were down 9% from the 2010s average.

Fire departments are fighting back in court

• Dozens of cities, counties, and fire districts have sued. They name REV Group, Oshkosh, and Rosenbauer, along with the industry trade group, the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association. Many allege the trade group helped the manufacturers coordinate price increases and limit production by sharing confidential data.
• The cases are now consolidated. A federal panel has centralized these lawsuits in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, where Oshkosh, Pierce, and REV Group are headquartered.
• La Crosse, Wisconsin filed one of the early suits against the three manufacturers.
• Durango, Colorado. The Durango Fire Protection District filed a 56-count class-action lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to raise prices and restrict supply. Their own dealer told them in a July 2022 email that prices and lead times had changed “overnight.”
• Kansas City, Missouri. Fire officials there were so short on trucks that they went searching nationwide just to find apparatus they could use.
• The State of California has filed its own antitrust suit, claiming REV Group and its former private equity owner created monopolies in fire truck markets.

In fairness, the companies deny wrongdoing. Oshkosh calls the allegations without merit, and REV Group has said the same. These cases are still working their way through the courts.

The opportunity

Whatever the courts decide, the shortage is real. Departments in every state are struggling with high prices and years-long waits. A new company built to serve fire departments would fill a genuine need and could bring good-paying, long-lasting manufacturing jobs to our region.

One possibility is reviving American LaFrance. With roots going back to 1832, it was one of the oldest fire apparatus builders in the country and was long known as the “Cadillac” of the industry. Under Freightliner’s ownership it even built cabs and chassis at a plant in North Carolina. After changes in ownership and a 2008 bankruptcy, it closed its doors in January 2014. The name, and its reputation with firefighters, could help a new company earn trust quickly. Here is a short video about it:

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