GM, Ford Applaud Trump 25% Medium-, Heavy-Duty Truck Tariff Blast Ram Trucks Waiver Appeal

A fight over a new 25% medium, heavy-duty truck waiver has GM and Ford applauding the move while Ram Trucks seeks a waiver to avoid a massive hit to their business.

Trump 25% Medium-, Heavy-Duty Truck Tariff

The new Trump 25% medium-truck tariff set to effect on November 1, 2025 and is part of an earlier planned tariff on heavy-duty trucks. These trucks are a threat to “national security” and imposing a tariff would help U.S. companies from threats to “unfair outside competition” according to a Reuters.com story citing the Trump Administration.

Both tariffs on medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks will impact everything from HD trucks, delivery trucks, garbage trucks, public utility trucks, transit, shuttle, school buses and tractor-trailer trucks as well as semi-trucks and heavy-duty vocational vehicles.

The top 5 countries importing those trucks into the U.S. are Mexico, Canada, Japan, Germany and Finland. These countries are “allies or close partners of the United States posing no threat to U.S. national security” according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that has urged the Commerce Department to reconsider the tariff.

In April, the U.S. Commerce Department began investigating heavy truck imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. This law permits import taxes on goods considered vital to national security. The probe targets medium- and heavy-duty trucks over 10,000 pounds and their parts, noting that most U.S. imports come from a few foreign suppliers accused of “predatory trade practices,” according to Newsweek.

Ford Applauds the Move

Ford CEO Jim Farley applauds the move for the tariffs saying it will help the company since they have focused on growing their U.S. manufacturing base.

“This is a really big deal for our country and for Ford,” Farley said in a previous interview when discussing these new tariffs. “We have a lot of competition from overseas and a 25 percent tariff would be a really big deal.”

Ford has made it a point to showcase its U.S. manufacturing footprint since the tariffs and have announced future plans to build a new $30,000 electric truck in Louisville, Kentucky with a $2 billion investment.

Ford currently builds its medium-duty F-650 and F-750 at the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio. It builds Super Duty trucks at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.

GM Mostly Unaffected by the Tariff

GM largely is unaffected by the tariffs as well.

For the medium-duty Chevy Silverado trucks, they are built through a joint venture with Navistar at the Navistar plan in Springfield, Ohio.

GM does build some GMC HD trucks in Silao, Mexico and that plant has been in the crosshairs of ongoing discussions for tariffs.

Ram Trucks wants a waiver

Unlike GM and Ford, Ram Trucks imports many trucks from Mexico and stands to be hit hard by the tariff creating a price disadvantage for the company.

Media reports say Stellantis, parent company of Ram Trucks has asked for a wavier.

Both Ford and GM have reportedly argued to the Commerce Department that granting a wavier would give an unfair cost break for Stellantis.

According to S&P Global data cited by Bloomberg, Stellantis produced 206,962 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks in Saltillo, Mexico, last year. Ford built nearly 400,000 trucks at U.S. plants, while GM assembled about 266,000 Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 trucks domestically.

Ram Trucks also builds chassis cab trucks in Mexico as well for the 4500 and 5500. And Ford is adding Super Duty production in Canada in 2026 with some of those trucks that could be impacted.