US adds countervailing duties on Mexican van-type trailers
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative countervailing duty (CVD) determination on van-type trailers and subassemblies from Mexico, effective for the period January 1–December 31, 2024. Commerce found that Mexican producers and exporters of these trailers receive countervailable subsidies. The final determination will align with the final antidumping duty investigation. Importers of Mexican van-type trailers now face potential CVD liability retroactively to the POI start date.
Photo: Yaroslav Shuraev / PexelsUS issues preliminary CVD order on Mexican van-type trailers
The U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily determined on June 5, 2026, that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of van-type trailers and subassemblies thereof from Mexico. The investigation covers the period January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
"The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of van-type trailers and subassemblies thereof (van-type trailers) from Mexico."
Who is affected: Importers, freight forwarders, and distributors sourcing van-type trailers or component subassemblies from Mexican manufacturers and exporters are directly exposed. This includes any shipper moving HS 8704.10 (motor vehicles for the transport of goods, with a GVW not exceeding 5 tonnes) or related assembled components.
What the determination covers: The preliminary affirmative CVD finding means Commerce has found a reasonable basis to believe that Mexican government subsidies have been bestowed on the subject merchandise. The final CVD determination will be aligned with the final antidumping duty (AD) determination, meaning both duties will become effective on the same date and may apply concurrently to the same shipments.
Retroactive liability: Under U.S. trade law, if the final CVD determination is affirmative, duties can be assessed retroactively to the start of the POI (January 1, 2024), even on shipments already cleared through Customs. Any entries filed during the investigation period may face recalculation and additional duty assessments.
Next steps: Commerce invites interested parties—including Mexican producers, U.S. importers, and downstream users—to submit comments on the preliminary determination before the final ruling. The timeline to the final determination is typically 75 days from publication, placing the final order around mid-August 2026.
Shippers should monitor final-determination announcements and the Federal Register closely, as the concurrent AD and CVD rates will determine total landed-cost exposure on all future and past-POI entries.
What this means for shippers
Importers of Mexican van-type trailers must immediately audit all shipments entered between January 1 and December 31, 2024, and recalculate landed cost under preliminary CVD rates once published. Flag all outstanding orders from Mexican suppliers for cost-adjustment review and consider alternative sourcing or negotiated ex-works price reductions to offset duty exposure. Update your customs-invoice and landed-cost calculations to reflect CVD liability before the final determination in August 2026. /landed-cost
