ITC Makes Affirmative Preliminary Determination in Trade Cases on Chassis from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam, Wiley Rein LLP Reports

April 14, 2025

Washington, DC — In a victory for U.S. intermodal container chassis producers, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC or Commission) on Friday, April 11, found a reasonable indication that the U.S. intermodal container chassis industry is materially injured by chassis imports from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Commission’s vote comes in response to petitions filed by the U.S. Chassis Manufacturers Coalition on February 26, 2025. The cases allege that large volumes of unfairly dumped and subsidized imports of Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese chassis are injuring the domestic industry.

“American chassis producers are suffering as a result of dumped and subsidized imports from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam, which have devastated the U.S. market,” said Robert E. DeFrancesco, counsel to the Coalition and a partner in the International Trade Practice at Wiley. “We commend this vote by the Commission, which allows the industry’s efforts to restore a level playing field to proceed and supports American manufacturers and American workers.”

On March 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations into subject imports. The dumping margins are alleged to be as high as 32.37% for Mexican imports, 181.57% for Thai imports, and 302.52% for Vietnamese imports.

The Commission’s affirmative preliminary injury determination paves the way for the Commerce Department to move forward with its investigations. Commerce is expected to issue its preliminary CVD determination in May 2025 (which could be extended until July 2025) and its preliminary AD determination in August 2025 (which could be extended until September 2025). If Commerce also reaches affirmative preliminary determinations in these cases, provisional AD and CVD duties will be collected from importers based on the preliminary margins calculated. 

If both agencies ultimately reach affirmative final determinations, AD and CVD orders on chassis from Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam will be issued, imposing duties on the unfairly traded imports for a minimum of five years. Duties must be paid by the U.S. importer, and duty evasion, absorption, and circumvention are strictly illegal.

For more information, please contact:

Robert E. DeFrancesco, III
202-719-7473
RDeFrancesco@wiley.law