American Trucking Associations’ president and CEO Chris Spear released a statement in response to new tariffs imposed on the United States’ largest trading partners.
“As the trucking industry recovers from a years-long freight recession marked by low freight volumes, depressed rates and rising operational costs, we have concern that tariffs could decrease freight volumes and increase costs for motor carriers at a time when the industry is just beginning to recover. A 25% tariff levied on Mexico could see the price of a new tractor increase by as much as $35,000. That is cost-prohibitive for many small carriers, and for larger fleets, it would add tens of millions of dollars in annual operating costs,” Spear said in the statement. “Trucks move 85% of goods that cross our southern border and 67% of goods that cross our northern border, supporting hundreds of thousands of trucking jobs in the U.S. The trucking industry understands the crises motivating these tariff proposals, which is why we have been a leader in efforts to fight drug and human trafficking. We firmly support policies that will secure our borders and protect legitimate trade, but we also recognize the unintended consequences that substantial tariffs could have over the long-term, including higher consumer costs on the wide range of goods that cross our borders by truck, including food, automobiles, televisions, computers, furniture and other key manufacturing inputs. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was a major achievement of President Trump’s first administration. The American Trucking Associations worked hand in glove with all three countries to reach this historic deal, and we look forward to doing so again during the USMCA review.”
