Latest in Trump 2.0 Policy: 25% tariff on heavy trucks to protect great American truck makers like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks

US President Donald Trump has announced a number of tariff-related changes once again. In a series of posts on his preferred social media network Truth Social, the 47th American president announced a 25 per cent import duty on heavy trucks, among other actions. The move, he wrote , is to protect “great heavy truck manufacturers” like Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner and Mack Trucks from “unfair outside competition”. 

This marks the latest in the ongoing tariff war between the world’s largest economy and its trade partners triggered by the Trump 2.0 administration. Trump’s tariff policy has often left investors and policymakers confused, while many financial experts have questioned its impact on the US and other major economies across the globe. 

25% duty on import tariff to protect great American heavy truck manufacturers: Trump

The proposed 25 per cent duty will take effect from October 1, wrote Trump. 

The president described competition from non-American heavy truck makers as “onslaught of outside interruptions”. 

Here are three important points from Trump’s Truth Social post about the heavy truck industry: 

• Duty to be imposed on all heavy trucks made in other parts of the world
• Action aimed at protecting “Great Large Truck Company Manufacturers, such as Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks
• American heavy truck makers to 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 wrote. 

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Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about heavy trucks in the US: 

How are heavy trucks defined in the US?

Trucks weighing 10,000 pounds (gross weight) and above are recognised as heavy trucks in the US. 

How significant is the American heavy truck market?

According to official data, this segment forms the very backbone of the American commercial vehicle market, with around 2.97 million tractor-trailer registrations and an overall total of more than 13.5 million trucks of all classes, as of 2025.

The heavy truck industry serves as a lifeline to cross-border trade, carrying 67 per cent of US-Canada surface trade and 85 per cent of US-Mexico trade by value annually.

While most American trucking companies are small businesses, 91.5 per cent of the fleets operate 10 or fewer trucks, highlighting the fragmented industry structure, according to industrial data.

How are trucks classified in the US?

The Federal Highway Administration, under the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), classifies trucks into three broad categories based on a metric known as gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).