President Trump said yesterday that all medium- and heavy-duty trucks imported into the U.S. will face a 25 percent tariff rate starting 1 November.  That marks a significant escalation of Trump’s effort to protect U.S. companies from foreign competition.  He had previously stated that heavy truck imports would face new duties to protect manufacturers from “unfair outside competition.” Under the trade deals with Japan and the EU, the U.S. agreed to 15 percent tariffs on light duty vehicles leaving it unclear whether imports of heavy-duty trucks would be subject to the higher tariffs.  Generally, the Trump Administration has allowed producers to deduct the value of components from the tariffs on light duty tr...