www.tirebusiness.com April 15, 2019 $79 per year, $4 per copy Tire Business Special Report CommercialTire& Will duties cause shortage of TBR tires? RetreadingReport Mergers/acquisitions high- USTMA forecasts medium-duty product shipments to drop in 2019 10 light 2018/19 commercial By Bruce Davis medium-duty truck/bus shipments this year. those tariffs, the moves proved providential when sector developments
[email protected] The drop, which translates to 1.5 million units, the Department of Commerce handed down in ill the newly imposed countervailing is tied primarily to the anticipated impact of the February its decision to impose countervailing North America’s and antidumping import duty orders on higher import duties on China, the No. 1 source of and antidumping duty orders on truck and bus 14-15 largest commercial Wtruck and bus tires from China lead to imported truck tires. tires from China, sources said. dealerships chart shortages of tires and/or rising prices? Truck tire imports from China last year soared The surplus inventory of these “tariff-beater” That scenario seems to be more than likely, ac- 42.1 percent to 9.22 million units, or more than half imports on hand could serve to ll the gap, at least Bridgestone launches ‘Fleets cording to various sources contacted by Tire Busi- of all imports. The increase, however, was in ated temporarily, for any shortfalls in new imports, 17 We Depend On’ retreading ness. The big question, however, is: To what extent? by importers’ placing extra orders toward year-end sources indicated. education campaign The U.S.