The International Trade Commission has voted to confirm that imported truck and bus tires from Thailand are injuring the domestic industry in the U.S. As a result, TBR tires shipped from Thailand to the U.S. will be subject to tariffs.
It's a ruling that has been a year in the making, as the United Steelworkers filed a petition in October 2023 seeking these tariffs. Union leaders from domestic TBR production sites testified almost exactly a year ago that imported products were threatening the livelihoods of all the union members, and that the tariffs were needed to stem the flow of imported tires.
In a bit of irony, a day before the ITC members voted 4-0 that they agreed with the union's plea, one of the unionized plants learned it would shut down permanently. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. announced on Nov. 7 it was ceasing all tire production at its factory near Buffalo, N.Y. That plant builds commercial truck tires, as well as passenger and motorcycle tires.
The ITC issued its ruling, but doesn't automatically explain why members vote the way they do or detail what arguments in the case were persuasive to them. That will come in a later report.
