Trump Administration Probing Truck Imports, Citing National Security

The United States imported more than 14 times as many trucks and buses in 2023 than it did in 2007, with nearly 90 percent coming in from Mexico.

Freight trucks pass through customs before entering the United States at the Otay Mesa port of entry in San Diego, in an undated file photo. John Moore/Getty Images

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has launched an investigation to determine the national security impact of commercial truck imports into the United States, according to an April 23 notice from the Department of Commerce.

The probe, which began on Tuesday, will assess the imports of “medium-duty trucks, heavy-duty trucks, and medium- and heavy-duty truck parts, and their derivative products,” the notice said.

The investigation is being pursued under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which gives the U.S. president broad powers to adjust imports if excessive imports are assessed to threaten national security. The provision allows the president to take measures such as implementing tariffs to deal with the issue.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is “examining the current quantities and circumstances of these imports to determine if it threatens to impair U.S. national security and whether action is needed to address any such threat,” the agency said in an April 23 statement.

“Protection of U.S. national security and economic interests remains the President’s first priority, and this investigation will ensure American truck manufacturing remains protected,” it said.

The notice called for public comments on the issue.

The Department of Commerce is “particularly interested” in comments and information such as the current and projected demand for trucks and parts in the United States, the extent to which domestic production can meet demand, and the role of foreign supply chains, the notice said.

The department is also interested in comments related to the “economic impact of artificially suppressed prices of trucks and truck parts due to foreign unfair trade practices and state-sponsored overproduction” as well as the “impact of foreign government subsidies and predatory trade practices on the competitiveness of the medium- and heavy-duty truck industry in the United States,” it said.

The comments must be submitted within 21 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, scheduled for April 25.

“A strong and resilient automotive and truck industry is vital to our national security,” Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Commerce Department will work to support this vital sector and carefully assess the risks posed by external threats and supply chain vulnerabilities.”

Trucking Industry Impact

According to a January 25 analysis from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), gaps in the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) have allowed foreign goods to enter the United States under the guise of being “Made in North America.”

USMCA also empowered companies to suppress wage demands in the United States through threats of shifting production to Mexico, the EPI said.

“U.S. truck and bus producers face intensifying competition from lower-wage countries, subsidized imports, and corporate offshoring,” the analysis said.

“In 2023, the U.S. imported more than 14 times as many trucks and buses (342,000 units) as in 2007—11,100 units more than produced domestically, with nearly 90 percent of imports from Mexico.”

The Trump administration has imposed a 25 percent tariff on goods coming from Mexico and Canada.

A March 25 report from S&P Global predicts that a 25 percent tariff would affect a third of U.S. commercial vehicle sales. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles are expected to be particularly affected.

“Combined with the immediate retaliatory actions of Canada and Mexico, the tariffs’ impact on the trucking industry could be significant, with the potential to depress near-term truck volumes and, over time, reshape commercial vehicle manufacturing,” S&P said.

“On the brand side, ties to plants in Canada and Mexico also vary widely. Extremes are represented by Ram (100 percent Mexico production) and by Volvo brand (0 percent Mexico production). Many other brands are in between, with toolsets across two or even three of the North American countries.”

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency aimed at improving the competitive edge of the United States and strengthening the country’s national and economic security, according to an April 2 White House fact sheet.

Trump “recognizes that increasing domestic manufacturing is critical to U.S. national security,” it stated.

America’s manufacturing output as a share of global manufacturing output has gone down from 28.4 percent in 2001 to 17.4 percent in 2023, the fact sheet states. It added that between 1997 and 2024, the country lost roughly 5 million manufacturing jobs.