Trump announces '25% tariff on medium and heavy-duty trucks' entering US from November 1

US President Donald Trump's tariff treatment has now hit the trucks being imported into the country. Trump announced on Monday (Oct 6) that the medium and heavy-duty trucks will attract extra import duty from November 1. He had announced earlier that the tariff on trucks would start from October 1, but now the policy will come into effect from next month. Ever since Trump began his second term of presidency in January earlier this year, Trump has been bullish on imposing tariffs on the US trade partners as well as commodities imported to the country as his way of restoring balance in the US economy.

What did Trump say about the tariff on trucks?

The US President, on his Truth Social account, wrote: "Beginning November 1st, 2025, all medium and heavy-duty trucks coming into the United States from other countries will be tariffed at the rate of 25%. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter." The US mostly imports trucks from neighbouring Canada and Mexico with which it has a trade agreement in place already.

After countries, Trump tariffs trucks entering US from November 1 Photograph: (Truth Social/ Donald Trump)

How many trucks does the US buy, and what are they used for?

In the US automotive market, themedium and heavy-duty trucks only account for five per cent of the total vehicles but the US still accounts for nearly 80 per cent demand of these trucks in North America, as reported by S&P Global.

The trucks are defined as medium and heavy as per their gross weight. A medium truck weighs between 14,000-33,000 pounds while any truck above gross weight of 33,000 classifies as a heavy truck. They are largely used for logistics, construction and waste management in the country.