U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media last night to announce 25% tariffs on heavy trucks not built in the U.S.
“In order to protect our Great Heavy Truck Manufacturers from unfair outside competition, I will be imposing, as of October 1st, 2025, a 25% Tariff on all “Heavy (Big!) Trucks” made in other parts of the World,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Therefore, our Great Large Truck Company Manufacturers, such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks, and others, will be protected from the onslaught of outside interruptions. We need our Truckers to be financially healthy and strong, for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!”
He appeared to use national security as a reason to bypass USMCA requirements.
Both Mack Trucks and Volvo have recently said publicly they feel disadvantaged by the current tariff policy, which requires them to pay tariffs on components produced outside the U.S. while complete trucks built in Mexico are free from tariffs under the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.
Volvo president Peter Voorhoeve explained the situation in an exclusive interview with trucknews.com earlier this week. Paccar, parent to Peterbilt and Kenworth, also builds most of its trucks in the U.S. Its shares were up 6% pre-market on the news.
In a letter to members, American Trucking Associations president Chris Spear said the association disagrees with the implementation of these tariffs, which will likely increase costs for truck buyers.
“Tonight, the Trump Administration announced the conclusion of its Section 232 national security investigation into the foreign production of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and truck parts. As a result, the tariff rate on these imports will increase from 0% to 25% effective Oct. 1, although we are working to determine details on the full extent of what truck contents will be subject to these tariffs. ATA disagreed with the premise of this investigation from its inception, and we filed comments with the U.S. Department of Commerce last spring to convey our opposition,” he wrote.
“In line with the Administration’s goal to revitalize U.S. manufacturing, we support the goal of creating domestic jobs. As you know, however, the trucking industry has been navigating an extremely challenging operating environment, with rising costs and soft freight volumes. We are assessing the impact that these new tariffs could have on truck prices as manufacturers look to shift production from Mexico, as permitted under USMCA, to the United States — costs that motor carriers small and large will be forced to absorb.”
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