SC&RA Urges USTR: Spare EU and Japanese Cranes from Section 301 Tariffs

(April 16, 2026) -In comments filed April 15, 2026, SC&RA urged the U.S. Trade Representative to exempt construction cranes, specialized trailers, and related parts from the EU and Japan from new Section 301 tariffs.
SC&RA warned that imposing tariffs on trusted allies would backfire. Unlike China’s state-driven overcapacity, EU and Japanese producers offer high-quality, fairly traded equipment essential to critical projects in data centers, nuclear energy, semiconductors, and defense. Domestic U.S. production meets less than 3% of demand for key crane types, with lead times of 5–7 years for new capacity. Tariffs on allies, SC&RA argued, would raise costs, slow infrastructure buildout, and accelerate China’s market capture—exactly the opposite of USTR’s goals. SC&RA calls for zero tariffs on EU/Japan goods, no stacking with Section 232 duties, a 24-month phase-in, and a tariff-rate quota to ensure supply while targeting only Chinese overcapacity. SC&RA CEO Joel Dandrea will address the issue of tariffs at next week’s Annual Conference in Amelia Island. To read the comments, click here.