Notice2026-08042
Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof From the Kingdom of Thailand: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 24, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of certain chassis and subassemblies thereof (chassis) from the Kingdom of Thailand (Thailand). The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 79 (Friday, April 24, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 79 (Friday, April 24, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22133-22136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08042]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C-549-855]
Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof From the Kingdom of
Thailand: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that
countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters
of certain chassis and subassemblies thereof (chassis) from the Kingdom
of Thailand (Thailand). The period of investigation (POI) is January 1,
2024, through December 31, 2024.
DATES: Applicable April 24, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ian Riggs or Caroline Carroll, AD/CVD
Operations, Office IX, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3810 or (202) 482-4948,
respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 1, 2025, Commerce published the Preliminary Determination
in the Federal Register and invited interested parties to comment.\1\
In accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce aligned the final
countervailing duty (CVD) determination with the final determination in
the less-than-fair-value investigation of chassis from Thailand.\2\
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\1\ See Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof from the
Kingdom of Thailand: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty
Determination and Alignment of Final Determination With Final
Antidumping Duty Determination, 90 FR 36132 (August 1, 2025)
(Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision
Memorandum (PDM).
\2\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 36133.
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Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown,
on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative
proceedings by 47 days. Additionally, due to a backlog of documents
that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service
System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24,
2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in
[[Page 22134]]
administrative proceedings by an additional 21 days. Accordingly, the
deadline for this final determination is now April 20, 2026.
On January 12, 2026, Commerce released its Post-Preliminary
Analysis.\3\ For a complete discussion of the events that followed the
Preliminary Determination, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.\4\
The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is made
available to the public via ACCESS. ACCESS is available to registered
users at <a href="https://access.trade.gov">https://access.trade.gov</a>. In addition, a complete version of
the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at <a href="https://access.trade.gov/frnotices">https://access.trade.gov/frnotices</a>.
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\3\ See Memorandum, ``Post-Preliminary Analysis in the
Countervailing Duty Investigation of Certain Chassis and
Subassemblies Thereof from the Kingdom of Thailand,'' dated January
12, 2026 (Post-Preliminary Analysis).
\4\ See Memorandum, ``Issues and Decision Memorandum for the
Final Determination of the Countervailing Duty Investigation of
Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof from the Kingdom of
Thailand,'' dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this
notice (Issues and Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation
The products covered by the scope of this investigation are chassis
from Thailand. For a complete description of the scope of this
investigation, see Appendix I.
Scope Comments
During the course of this investigation, Commerce received scope
comments from interested parties. Commerce issued a Preliminary Scope
Decision Memorandum to address these comments and set aside a period of
time for parties to address scope issues in scope-specific case and
rebuttal briefs.\5\ Between August and September 2025, Commerce
received scope case and rebuttal briefs from interested parties.\6\ On
February 10, 2026, the petitioner requested a scope exclusion.\7\ After
analyzing these comments, we made changes to the scope of the
investigation published in the Preliminary Determination, as noted in
Appendix I.\8\
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\5\ See Memorandum, ``Less Than Fair Value and Countervailing
Duty Investigations of Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof
from Mexico, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam:
Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum,'' dated July 28, 2025
(Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum).
\6\ See PJ Trailers Seminole Inc.'s Letter, ``PJ Trailers
Seminole Inc.'s Scope Case Brief,'' dated August 27, 2025; see also
Hyundai de Mexico S.A. de C.V.'s Letter, ``HT's Scope Case Brief,''
dated August 27, 2025; and Petitioner's Letter, ``Scope Rebuttal
Brief,'' dated September 5, 2025.
\7\ See Petitioner's Letter, ``Request Scope Exclusion,'' dated
February 10, 2026.
\8\ See Memorandum, ``Less Than Fair Value and Countervailing
Duty Investigations of Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof
from Mexico, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final
Scope Decision Memorandum,'' dated concurrently with this notice.
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Verification
As provided in section 782(i) of the Act, in September 2025,
Commerce conducted verification of the subsidy information reported by
the Royal Thai Government (RTG), Dee Siam Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Dee
Siam), and Panus Assembly Co., Ltd. (Panus) for use in our final
determination. We used standard verification procedures, including an
examination of relevant accounting records and original source
documents provided by Dee Siam, Panus, and the RTG.\9\
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\9\ See Memorandum, ``Verification of the Questionnaire
Responses of Dee Siam Manufacturing Co., Ltd.,'' dated March 4,
2026; see also Memorandum, ``Verification of the Questionnaire
Responses of Panus Assembly Co., Ltd,'' dated February 10, 2026; and
Memorandum, ``Verification of the Questionnaire Responses of the
Royal Thai Government,'' dated March 3, 2026.
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Analysis of Subsidy Programs and Comments Received
The subsidy programs under investigation, and the issues raised in
the case and rebuttal briefs that were submitted by interested parties
in this investigation, are discussed in the Issues and Decision
Memorandum. For a list of the issues addressed in the Issues and
Decision Memorandum, see Appendix II.
Methodology
Commerce conducted this investigation in accordance with section
701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found to be
countervailable, Commerce 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.\10\ For a full
description of the methodology underlying our final determination, see
the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
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\10\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding
financial contribution; see also section 771(5)(E) of the Act
regarding benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding
specificity.
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In making this final determination, Commerce relied, in part, on
facts otherwise available, including with an adverse inference,
pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act. For a full discussion
of our application of adverse facts available (AFA), see the Issues and
Decision Memorandum at the section entitled ``Uses of Facts Available
and Application of Adverse Inferences.''
Changes Since the Preliminary Determination
Based on our review and analysis of the information examined at
verification and comments received from interested parties, we made
changes to the subsidy rate calculations for Dee Siam, Panus, and for
all other producers/exporters. For a discussion of these changes, see
the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
All-Others Rate
In accordance with section 705(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Act, we
calculated an individual estimated countervailable subsidy rate for the
two mandatory respondents, Dee Siam and Panus. Section 705(c)(5)(A)(i)
of the Act states that, for companies not individually investigated,
Commerce will determine an all-others rate equal to the weighted-
average countervailable subsidy rates established for exporters and/or
producers individually investigated, excluding any zero and de minimis
countervailable subsidy rates, and any rates determined entirely under
section 776 of the Act.
In this investigation, we continue to calculate individual total
net countervailable subsidy rates for Dee Siam and Panus that are not
zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available.
Therefore, we continue to calculate 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 sales
value for their exports to the United States of subject
merchandise,\11\ in accordance with section 705(c)(5)(A)(i) of the Act.
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\11\ With two respondents under examination, Commerce normally
calculates: (A) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates
calculated for the examined respondents; (B) a simple average of the
estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents; and
(C) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates calculated for
the examined respondents using each company's publicly-ranged U.S.
sale quantities for the merchandise under consideration. Commerce
then compares (B) and (C) to (A) and selects the rate closest to (A)
as the most appropriate rate for all other producers and exporters.
See, e.g., Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof from France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom: Final Results of Antidumping
Administrative Reviews, Final Results of Changed-Circumstances
Review, and Revocation of an Order in Part, 75 FR 53661, 53663
(September 1, 2010); see also Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks from
Italy: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination,
and Alignment of Final Determination with Final Antidumping Duty
Determination, 85 FR 31460, 31461 (May 26, 2020), unchanged in
Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks from Italy: Final Affirmative
Countervailing Duty Determination, 85 80022, 80023 (December 11,
2020).
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Final Determination
Commerce determines that the following estimated countervailable
subsidy rates exist for the period January 1, 2024, through December
31, 2024:
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Subsidy rate
Company (percent ad
valorem)
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Dee Siam Manufacturing Co., Ltd........................... 10.72
Panus Assembly Co., Ltd................................... 9.65
All Others................................................ 10.50
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Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations performed to
interested parties in this final determination within five days of its
public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five
days of the date of the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Suspension of Liquidation
As a result of our Preliminary Determination, and pursuant to
sections 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, we instructed U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits and suspend
liquidation of entries of subject merchandise from Thailand that were
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after
August 1, 2025, the date of the publication of the Preliminary
Determination in the Federal Register.\12\ In accordance with section
703(d) of the Act, we instructed CBP to discontinue the suspension of
liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise entered or withdrawn
from warehouse, on or after November 29, 2025, but to continue the
suspension of liquidation of all entries of subject merchandise on or
before November 28, 2025.
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\12\ See Preliminary Determination, 90 FR at 36133.
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If the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issues a final
affirmative injury determination, we will issue a CVD order, reinstate
the suspension of liquidation under section 706(a) of the Act, and
require a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties for entries
of subject merchandise in the amounts indicated above. Pursuant to
section 705(c)(2) of the Act, if the ITC determines that material
injury, or threat of material injury, does not exist, this proceeding
will be terminated, and all estimated duties deposited or securities
posted as a result of the suspension of liquidation will be refunded or
cancelled.
ITC Notification
In accordance with section 705(d) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the ITC of its final affirmative determination that countervailable
subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of chassis from
Thailand. As Commerce's final determination is affirmative, in
accordance with section 705(b) of the Act, the ITC will determine,
within 45 days, whether the domestic industry in the United States is
materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of
import of chassis from Thailand. In addition, we are making available
to the ITC all non-privileged and non-proprietary information in our
files, provided the ITC confirms that it will not disclose such
information, either publicly or under administrative protective order
(APO), without the written consent of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of material
injury does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated and all cash
deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does
exist, Commerce will issue a CVD directing CBP to assess, upon further
instruction by Commerce, countervailing duties on all imports of the
subject merchandise that are entered, or withdrawn, for consumption on
or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as
discussed above in the ``Suspension of Liquidation'' section.
Administrative Protective Order
This notice will serve as the only reminder to parties subject to
the APO of their responsibility concerning the destruction of
proprietary information disclosed under APO, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of the return/destruction of
APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby
requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO
is a violation which is subject to sanction.
Notification to Interested Parties
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 705(d) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).
Dated: April 20, 2026.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix I
Scope of the Investigation
The merchandise covered by this investigation consists of
chassis and subassemblies thereof whether finished or unfinished,
whether assembled or unassembled, whether coated or uncoated,
regardless of the number of axles, for carriage of containers, or
other payloads (including self-supporting payloads) for road, marine
roll-on/roll-off (RORO) and/or rail transport. Chassis are
typically, but are not limited to, rectangular framed trailers with
a suspension and axle system, wheels and tires, brakes, a lighting
and electrical system, a coupling for towing behind a truck tractor,
and a locking system or systems to secure the shipping container or
containers to the chassis using twistlocks, slide pins or similar
attachment devices to engage the corner fittings on the container or
other payload.
Subject merchandise includes, but is not limited to, the
following subassemblies:
<bullet> Chassis frames, or sections of chassis frames,
including kingpin assemblies, bolsters consisting of transverse
beams with locking or support mechanisms, goosenecks, drop
assemblies, extension mechanisms and/or rear impact guards;
<bullet> Running gear assemblies or axle assemblies for
connection to the chassis frame, whether fixed in nature or capable
of sliding fore and aft or lifting up and lowering down, which may
or may not include suspension(s) (mechanical or pneumatic), wheel
end components, slack adjusters, dressed axles, brake chambers,
locking pins, and tires and wheels; and
<bullet> Assemblies that connect to the chassis frame or a
section of the chassis frame, such as but not limited to, pintle
hooks or B-trains (which include a fifth wheel), which are capable
of connecting a chassis to a converter dolly or another chassis.
Importation of any of these subassemblies, whether assembled or
unassembled, constitutes an unfinished chassis for purposes of this
investigation.
Subject merchandise also includes chassis, whether finished or
unfinished, entered with components 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, spoke or disc wheels, tires,
brake control systems, electrical harnesses and lighting systems.
Processing of finished and unfinished chassis and components
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 chassis does not remove the product from
the scope.
Individual components entered and sold by themselves are not
subject to the investigation, but components entered with a finished
or unfinished chassis are subject merchandise. A finished chassis is
ultimately comprised of several different types of subassemblies.
Within each subassembly there are numerous components that comprise
a given subassembly.
This scope excludes dry van trailers, refrigerated van trailers
and flatbed trailers. Dry van trailers are trailers with a wholly
enclosed cargo space comprised of fixed sides, nose, floor and roof,
with articulated panels (doors) across the rear and occasionally at
selected places on the sides,
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with the cargo space being permanently incorporated in the trailer
itself. Refrigerated van trailers are trailers with a wholly
enclosed cargo space comprised of fixed sides, nose, floor and roof,
with articulated panels (doors) across the rear and occasionally at
selected places on the sides, with the cargo space being permanently
incorporated in the trailer and being insulated, possessing specific
thermal properties intended for use with self-contained
refrigeration systems. Flatbed (or platform) trailers consist of
load carrying main frames and a solid, flat or stepped loading deck
or floor permanently incorporated with and supported by frame rails
and cross members.
The scope also excludes fully and permanently assembled trailers
that have permanently incorporated floors welded to the frame
without a locking mechanism, a gross axle weight ratings of 8,000
lbs or less, and that connect to Federal Highway Administration
Class 3 or Class 5 vehicles with a coupler rated for SAE J684
Standard Class 4, whether entered with or without neck, ramp, dove
tail, or dump/safety arm components. The scope also excludes fully
dressed axle subassemblies with a gross axle weight rating of 8,000
lbs or less, an outer diameter of the axle beam of three inches or
less, and eight or fewer lug nuts.
The finished and unfinished chassis subject to this
investigation are typically classified in the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) at subheadings: 8716.39.0090
and 8716.90.5060. Imports of finished and unfinished chassis may
also enter under HTSUS subheading 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 Issues and Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Subsidies Valuation
IV. Use of Facts Available and Adverse Inferences
V. Analysis of Programs
VI. Discussion of the Issues
Comment 1: Whether Commerce Has the Legal Authority to
Countervail Transnational Subsidies
Comment 2: Whether to Apply Facts Available to the Government of
the People's Republic of China (China) (GOC) for the Provision of
Steel Inputs for Less Than Adequate Remuneration (LTAR) and
Investments from Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Investment Funds
Programs
Comment 3: Whether Sahaviriya Steel Industries PLC (SSI) is an
``Authority'' that Provides a Financial Contribution Through the
Provision of Hot-Rolled Sheet for LTAR
Comment 4: Whether to Make Certain Changes to Dee Siam's and
Panus' Sales Denominators
Comment 5: Whether to Apply Adverse Facts Available (AFA) to Dee
Siam's and Panus' Purchases of Angles, Beams, Channels, and Tubes
for LTAR
Comment 6: Whether to Make Certain Changes to the Calculation of
Dee Siam's Benefit for the Transnational Provision of Angles, Beams,
Channels, and Tubes for LTAR
Comment 7: Whether Dee Siam Was Equityworthy
Comment 8: Whether to Countervail Dee Siam's Purchases of
Chassis and Subassemblies
Comment 9: Whether to Apply AFA to Panus for Errors Related to
Benefits Received from the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM
Thailand)
Comment 10: Whether to Apply AFA to Panus for Errors in its
Reported Hot-Rolled Sheet Purchases
Comment 11: Whether to Apply AFA to Panus for Unreported Free
Zone Incentives
Comment 12: Whether Panus' Use of the Program Management Unit
for Competitive (PMU-C) Grants Program is Tied to Non-Subject
Merchandise
Comment 13: Whether to Apply AFA to Panus for Errors Related to
the PMU-C Grants Program
VII. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2026-08042 Filed 4-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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