On April 23, 2025, the Commerce Department announced a new investigation initiated pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. This is the fourth Section 232 investigation announced in April 2025, following announcements pertaining to investigations on imports of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and critical minerals. The pre-publication Federal Register notice announcing the investigation on imported trucks and truck parts and their derivatives explains that this investigation will cover medium-duty trucks, referring to those with a gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 and under 26,001 pounds, heavy-duty trucks, referring to those with a gross vehicle weight of greater than 26,001 pounds, and parts of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks, which refers to "the individual components and systems of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including engines and engine parts, transmissions and powertrain parts, and electrical components."
Also on April 23, Commerce released the pre-publication Federal Register notice regarding the recently initiated Section 232 investigation on critical minerals. According to that notice, the deadline for comments from interested parties via www.regulations.gov is May 16, 2025. Comments from interested parties for the trucks and truck parts investigation is also May 16, 2025. It is not clear at this time whether there will be future opportunities to comment on Commerce's final reports and/or the President's proposed remedies in each investigation. Kelley Drye's International Trade team continues to monitor Section 232 developments and is available to assist clients in navigating these new investigations and understanding the impacts of the ever-changing trade landscape.
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