President Donald Trump’s administration started an investigation into national security risks posed by imports of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and parts, an expansion of his tariff plans.
The Commerce Department probe will look at the security effects stemming from a “small number” of foreign suppliers that it says have dominated US imports in part due to government subsidies and “predatory trade practices,” according to a Federal Register notice. It will examine if domestic producers can meet US demand and the potential for foreign nations to “weaponize their control over supplies of trucks and truck parts” by using export restrictions.
Trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds as well as parts and derivatives will be subject to the investigation.
The probe, which the department said began on April 22, joins four other trade investigations targeting copper, timber and lumber, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
The probes, which are proceeding under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, generally produce findings within 270 days, though the Trump administration has moved to execute trade policy at a faster clip.
— By Jennifer A. Dlouhy (Bloomberg)
