SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 703(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). On January 26, 2026, Commerce published the notice of initiation of this countervailing duty (CVD) investigation in the Federal Register .^[1] On March 19, 2026, Commerce postponed the preliminary determination until June 1, 2026.^[2]

For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[3] A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at https://access.trade.gov/​frnotices.

Scope of the Investigation

The product covered by this investigation is van-type trailers from Mexico. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

Scope Comments

In accordance with the Preamble to Commerce's regulations,^[4] the Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope).^[5] Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. Commerce intends to issue its preliminary decision regarding comments concerning the scope of the less-than-fair-value (LTFV) and CVD investigations on or before the preliminary determinations of the companion Canada and Mexico LTFV investigations.

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found countervailable, Commerce preliminarily determines that there is a subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution by an “authority” that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is specific.^[6]

Commerce notes that, in making these findings, it relied on facts available and, because it finds that one or more respondents did not act to the best of their ability to respond to Commerce's requests for information, it drew an adverse inference where appropriate in selecting from among the facts otherwise available.^[7] For further information, see the “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences” section in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Alignment

In accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce is aligning the final determination in this investigation with the final determination in the companion LTFV investigation of van-type trailers from Mexico, based on a request by the petitioner.^[8] Consequently, the final CVD determination will be issued on the same date as the final LTFV determination, which is currently scheduled to be issued no later than October 13, 2026, unless postponed.

All-Others Rate

Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that in the preliminary determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-others rate for companies not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates established for those companies individually examined, excluding any zero and de minimis rates and any rates based entirely under section 776 of the Act.

In this investigation, Commerce calculated individual estimated countervailable subsidy rates for the mandatory respondents that are not zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available. Commerce calculated the all-others rate using a weighted average of the individual estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents using each company's publicly-ranged values for the merchandise under consideration.^[9]

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Preliminary Determination

Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated countervailable subsidy rates exist:

Suspension of Liquidation

In accordance with section 703(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise as described in the scope of the investigation section entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register . Further, pursuant to section 703(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.107(e), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated company-specific countervailable subsidy rate or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: (1) the cash deposit rate for the respondents listed above will be equal to the company-specific estimated individual countervailable subsidy rates determined in this preliminary determination; (2) if both the producer and exporter of the subject merchandise have company-specific estimated subsidy rates determined in this preliminary determination, and their rates differ, then the applicable cash deposit rate will be the higher of these two rates; (3) if either the producer or the exporter, but not both, of the subject merchandise have a company-specific estimated subsidy rate determined in this preliminary determination, the applicable cash deposit rate will be that company's company-specific rate; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the estimated all-others subsidy rate.

Disclosure

Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination within five days of its public announcement, or if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Consistent with 19 CFR 351.224(e), Commerce will analyze and, if appropriate, correct any timely allegations of significant ministerial errors by amending the preliminary determination. However, consistent with 19 CFR 351.224(d), Commerce will not consider incomplete allegations that do not address the significance standard under 19 CFR 351.224(g) following the preliminary determination. Instead, Commerce will address such allegations in the final determination together with issues raised in the case briefs or other written comments.

Verification

As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.

Public Comment

All interested parties will have the opportunity to submit scope case and rebuttal briefs on the preliminary decision regarding the scope of the LTFV and CVD investigations. The deadlines to submit scope case and rebuttal briefs will be provided in the preliminary scope decision memorandum. For all scope case and rebuttal briefs, parties must file identical documents simultaneously on the records of the ongoing LTFV and CVD van-type trailer investigations. No new factual information or business proprietary information may be included in either scope case or rebuttal briefs.

Non-scope related case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs.^[11] Interested parties who submit case or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.^[12]

As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii), we request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.^[13] Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the public executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final determination in this investigation. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).^[14]

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification

In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify the ITC of its determination. If the final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine, before the later of 120 days after the date of this preliminary determination or 45 days after the final determination, whether imports of van- ( printed page 34220) type trailers from Mexico are materially injuring the U.S. industry.

Notification to Interested Parties

This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 703(f) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigation

The merchandise covered by this investigation consists of certain van-type trailers and subassemblies thereof, whether finished or unfinished, whether assembled or unassembled, regardless of the number of axles, for carriage of goods. Van-type trailers are typically, but not limited to, rectangular cuboid trailers with a fully enclosed cargo space consisting of a front nose (with or without a refrigeration unit), side walls (with or without doors), movable rear panels (whether roll-up doors, swing doors, or another configuration), a floor and subframe, an affixed or removable roof, a suspension and axle system, wheels and tires, brakes, a lighting and electrical system, landing gear, and coupling for towing behind a truck tractor or a connection system for training behind another van-type trailer. Covered van-type trailers are those with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 26,000 pounds.

Subject merchandise includes, but is not limited to, the following subassemblies:

• Van-type trailer subframes, or sections of van-type trailer frames, typically consisting of welded crossmembers and slider rails for attaching the running gear;
• Nose wall, side wall, and roof subassemblies, whether insulated or non insulated, and with or without top, bottom, or side rails;
• Rear door frame, whether for swing or roll-up doors, with or without installed doors, bumpers, bumper plates, or reinforcing plates for liftgate;
• Door assemblies, whether for rear swing doors, roll-up doors, side doors or any other configuration, with or without lockrods, handles, hinges, or hinge pins;
• Rear impact guard subassemblies, typically consisting of a fabricated horizontal structural component (such as a guard tube) and uprights for connection to the underside of the rear frame;
• Coupler assembly for connection to truck tractor's fifth wheel, typically consisting of main beams and cross members, support plates, and front nose wrap, and with or without kingpin installed;
• Running gear subassemblies or axle assemblies for connection to the subframe, which may or may not include suspension(s), wheel end components, slack adjusters, dressed axles, brake chambers, locking pins, wheels, and tires; and
• Landing gear subassemblies, typically consisting of two landing legs, a cross channel, braces, bracketing, a cross shaft, and a crank handle.

These subassemblies are subject to the investigation, whether entered alone or with other subassemblies and whether assembled or unassembled and whether finished or unfinished. The absence of any subassembly from an otherwise finished or unfinished van-type trailer does not remove the van-type trailer from coverage.

Subject merchandise also includes components entered with ( i.e., on the same bill of lading as) van-type trailers and subassemblies, such as, but not limited to: hub and drum assemblies, brake assemblies (either drum or disc), bare axles, brake chambers, suspensions and suspension components, wheel end components, landing gear legs, wheels, tires, brake control systems, electrical harnesses and lighting systems, lift gate systems, tire inflation systems, or refrigeration units (with or without evaporators or fuel tanks) whether assembled or unassembled, whether as part of a kit or not, and whether or not accompanied by additional components that constitute as part of an unfinished and/or unassembled van-type trailer and subassemblies thereof that are subject to the investigation.

Processing of finished and unfinished van-type trailers and subassemblies, such as trimming, cutting, grinding, notching, punching, drilling, painting, coating, staining, finishing, assembly, or any other processing either in the country of manufacture of the in-scope product or in a third country does not remove the product from the scope. Inclusion of other components not identified as comprising the finished or unfinished van-type trailer does not remove the product from the scope.

Specifically excluded are subassemblies covered by the scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain chassis and subassemblies thereof from the People's Republic of China. See Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Order,86 FR 36093 (July 8, 2021) and Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order and Amended Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination,86 FR 24844 (May 10, 2021).

The finished and unfinished van-type trailers subject to this investigation are typically classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) at subheadings: 8716.39.0040 and 8716.90.5060. Imports of finished and unfinished subassemblies may also enter under HTSUS subheadings 7308.30.5050, 7308.90.9590, 7326.90.8688, 8708.29.1500, 8708.99.8180, 8716.90.5010. While the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise under investigation is dispositive.

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Injury Test

IV. Diversification of Mexico's and China's Economies

V. Use of Facts Available and Adverse Inferences

VI. Subsidies Valuation Information

VII. Interest Rate, Discount Rate, and Input Benchmarks

VIII. Analysis of Programs

IX. Recommendation

91 FR 34218