Washington Imposes Duties of Up to 134.75% on Enclosed Cargo Trailers from China
Key Facts
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued two duty orders on enclosed van-type cargo trailers and subassemblies from China, effective October 28, 2026. The department imposed an antidumping order and a countervailing duty order after investigations resulted in affirmative findings on both practices. The U.S. International Trade Commission said imports of these products caused “material injury” to a U.S. industry. The decision is limited to the specified category of trailers and their components, and does not cover all types of Chinese trailers. The orders set high rates on covered imports, including a weighted-average dumping margin of 130.86% and a countervailing duty rate of 134.75%.
The Commerce Department set the China-wide dumping margin at 130.86%, while the cash deposit rate, after deducting export subsidies, was 129.73%. The two figures reflect different elements of the antidumping decision: the weighted-average margin and the cash amount required to be deposited after accounting for the export subsidy deduction. Under the separate countervailing duty order, the rate was 134.75% for the listed companies and the category designated “all other companies.” The department said the cited subsidy rate was based on facts available with adverse inferences. These rates are from the final decision, not the investigation’s preliminary estimates announced months earlier.
The decision covers enclosed van-type cargo trailers, along with their subassemblies, whether the products are complete or incomplete, and assembled or unassembled. The definition in the Federal Register covers products regardless of the number of axles. This means the order’s scope follows the product specifications and components as defined by the Commerce Department, rather than serving as a general description of all transport equipment from China. The decision followed the department’s finding that the products were sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value and that their producers received support from the Chinese government. The International Trade Commission then determined that the imports caused material injury to the U.S. industry.
The investigations began on November 20, 2025, following a petition filed by the American Trailer Manufacturers Coalition, which includes Great Dane, Stoughton Trailers and Wabash National. In January 2026, the Commerce Department said the alleged dumping margin for China ranged from 87.57% to 214.61%, preliminary estimates that preceded the final findings. The department announced affirmative final findings in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on August 26, 2026. The International Trade Commission subsequently issued its final injury determination, completing the process required for the two duty orders to be issued. U.S. trade data show that the value of imports of complete trailers from China was $21,000 in 2022 and $175,001 in 2024.
For subassemblies, the value of imports fell from $314,723,927 in 2022 to $260,472,865 in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by the Commerce Department. The volume of these imports was 132,000,505 kilograms in 2022, compared with 118,905,223 kilograms in 2024. The number of complete trailers imported rose from 2 in 2022 to 38 in 2024, after reaching 23 in 2023. The Commerce Department cautioned that the classifications used in trade data may include products outside the scope of the investigation. These figures alone therefore do not provide a complete measure of imports covered by the final order.
The International Trade Commission is expected to make its public report on the investigation available on its website by November 5, 2026. The report comes after the orders take effect on October 28 and details the investigation that ended with the commission’s finding of material injury to the U.S. industry. The case began with a petition from the U.S. producers’ coalition and then included separate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations by the Commerce Department. The department announced its final findings in August, before the commission decided the injury question. The order published in the Federal Register sets the date the duties apply to products within the announced scope.