Buying a new dry van or reefer just got more complicated. On July 30 the U.S. Commerce Department announced preliminary antidumping duties on van-type trailers imported from Canada and Mexico — a win for the three American manufacturers who brought the case, even if the rates landed far below what they wanted.
The petition came from the American Trailer Manufacturers Coalition — Great Dane, Stoughton Trailers and Wabash National — which filed with Commerce and the International Trade Commission in November 2025, arguing that imported trailers were being sold in the U.S. below fair value.
Who pays what
Preliminary duty rates
Canada: 4.29% for Di-Mond Sales, Innovative Trailer Design, Morgan Canada and all other producers
Canada: 44.86% for Collins Manufacturing and GINCOR Werx, which Commerce hit with adverse inferences
Mexico: 3.21% for Utility Trailer's Mexican operation, 10.19% for Hyundai de Mexico, 8.72% for all others
Mexico: 79.92% for five producers, including Gallegos Trailers and Industrias Kuzzy, under adverse inferences
For comparison, the coalition had asked for rates of 223% to 297% on Canadian trailers and 209% to 432% on Mexican ones. Commerce's preliminary math came in at a fraction of that — single digits for most major producers.
“ These preliminary determinations represent another meaningful step toward restoring fair competition in the U.S. trailer market. ”
A shrinking pipeline either way
The duties land on a trade lane that was already cooling fast. Van trailer imports from the three countries under investigation fell from 72,333 units in 2023 to 48,751 in 2024, with just 21,082 crossing in the first half of 2025 — the vast majority from Mexico. Not everyone on the import side is staying quiet: Utility Trailer, whose own Mexican plant drew the lowest rate in the case, has argued the petition logic is flawed and warned that duties will ultimately mean higher prices and longer lead times for buyers.
The case is far from over. Commerce is expected to issue its final determination around mid-December 2026, followed by a final injury ruling from the International Trade Commission. Until then, importers are posting cash deposits at the preliminary rates.
What it means for buyers
Duties on new imports plus a thinner import pipeline tend to ripple into the used market — if new van prices climb into 2027, clean used dry vans and reefers already in the U.S. become the value play. If you've been putting off a trailer purchase, it may pay to price the used market now.
Shop the market before it moves
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