Section 232 Takes on Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks

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Apr. 23, 2025
By: Hannah B. Kreinik

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Science (BIS) has launched a Section 232 investigation into medium and heavy-duty trucks, their parts, and any derivative products.

The pre-publication Federal Register notice defines “medium-duty trucks” as having a gross weight between 10,000 and 26,001 pounds. “Heavy-duty trucks” are described in the notice as having a gross weight of 26,001 pounds or more. The notice specifies that the investigated trucks are “motor vehicles for the transport of goods.” Finally, “medium and heavy-duty truck parts” are clarified as individual components of the trucks, which can include engines, transmissions, powertrains, electrical components, and parts thereof. Public comments on a variety of issues, including but not limited to, the demand for these types of trucks in the US, the small amount of suppliers in the US, whether tariffs or other trade remedies will aid domestic production of trucks, or foreign supply chains for these types of vehicles are due 21 days after the official Federal Register publication.

Trade professionals are not surprised by this latest investigation as previous Trump administration actions have included Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum (heavily used in the automotive industry) and a similar Section 232 duty on light trucks, passenger vehicles, and their parts (see our articles on the subjects here and here), as well investigations on a variety of other good. Importers should prepare themselves for more trade remedies dealing with the auto sector and review supply chains for potential problem-areas like labor violations (see our article on the topic here).

Please reach out to any Barnes, Richardson & Colburn attorney for the most recent updates on Section 232.