16-3-3442 U.S. Purchasers' Questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 16-3-3442; Expiration Date: 6/30/2017
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

LOST SALES AND LOST REVENUE SURVEY
TRUCK AND BUS TIRES FROM CHINA
This survey must be received by the Commission by February 12, 2016
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this survey is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection
with its countervailing and antidumping duty investigations concerning truck and bus tires from China (Inv. Nos. 701-TA556 and 731-TA-1311 (Preliminary)). The information requested in the survey is requested under the authority of the
Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other
order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)). Further information
on this survey can be obtained from John Benedetto (202-205-3270, [email protected]) or Michele Breaux
(202-205-2781, [email protected]).

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased truck and bus tires (as defined on next page) at any time since January 1, 2013?

NO

(Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the survey to the Commission)

YES

(Complete all parts of the survey, and return the entire survey to the Commission)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the
following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: TIRES)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in this survey is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and
understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission.
By submitting this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the
information provided in this survey and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by the
Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this
investigation or other proceeding may be disclosed to and used:
(i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a
related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and
operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or
(ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all contract
personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Signature

Phone

Email address

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Truck and Bus Tires

Page 2

GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.-- This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on January 29, 2016, by
United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers
International Union (“USW”), Pittsburg, PA. Countervailing and/or antidumping duties may be assessed
on the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative
determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce makes
an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping. U.S. producers of truck and bus tires
have provided the USITC with allegations about sales or revenue that they have lost due to competition
from imports of truck and bus tires from China. One or more domestic producer(s) have named your
firm in such an allegation.
Truck and bus tires covered by these investigations are new pneumatic tires, of rubber, with a truck or
bus size designation. Truck and bus tires covered by these investigations may be tube-type, tubeless,
radial, or non-radial, and they may be intended for sale to original equipment manufacturers, fleet
owners and operators, or the replacement market.
Subject tires have, at the time of importation, the symbol “DOT” on the sidewall, certifying that the tire
conforms to applicable motor vehicle safety standards. Subject tires may also have one of the following
suffixes in their tire size designation, which also appear on the sidewall of the tire:
TR – Identifies tires for service on trucks or buses to differentiate them from similarly sized
passenger car and light truck tires;
MH – Identifies tires for mobile homes; and
HC – Identifies a 17.5 rim diameter code for use on low platform trailers.
All tires with a “TR,” “MH,” or “HC” suffix in their size designations are covered by these investigations
regardless of their intended use.
In addition, all tires that lack one of the above suffix markings are included in the scope, regardless of
their intended use, as long as the tire is of a size that is among the numerical size designations listed in
the “Truck-Bus” section of the Tire and Rim Association Year Book, as updated annually, unless the tire
falls within one of the specific exclusions set out below.
Truck and bus tires, whether or not mounted on wheels or rims, are included in the scope. However, if a
subject tire is imported mounted on a wheel or rim, only the tire is covered by the scope. Subject
merchandise includes truck and bus tires produced in the subject country whether mounted on wheels
or rims in the subject country or in a third country. Truck and bus tires are covered whether or not they
are accompanied by other parts, e.g., a wheel, rim, axle parts, bolts, nuts, etc. Truck and bus tires that
enter attached to a vehicle are not covered by the scope.
Specifically excluded from the scope of these investigations are the following types of tires:
(1) pneumatic tires, of rubber, that are not new, including recycled and retreaded tires; and
(2) non-pneumatic tires, such as solid rubber tires.
The subject merchandise is currently imported under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
(“HTSUS”) statistical reporting numbers: 4011.20.1015 and 4011.20.5020. Tires meeting the scope
description may also be imported under the following HTSUS provisions: 4011.99.4520, 4011.99.4590,
4011.99.8520, 4011.99.8590, 8708.70.4530, 8708.70.6030, and 8708.70.6060. While HTSUS
subheadings are provided for convenience and for customs purposes, the written description of the
subject merchandise is dispositive.

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Truck and Bus Tires

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Reporting of information.-- If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully
prepared estimates.
Confidentiality.--The data furnished in response to this survey that reveal the individual operations of
your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the extent that such data are not
otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may be required by law (see 19
U.S.C. 1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a manner that will reveal the
individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of numerical business proprietary
information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential business information only at the
request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this survey, as well as
any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in connection
with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative protective order
provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the Commission’s Rules of
Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and other authorized
individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection with this
proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar
merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were divulged to
unauthorized individuals. Please also retain a copy of the final document that you submit.
Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission
staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this survey. This
may or may not be the person whose signature is at the bottom of page 1.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Truck and Bus Tires

Page 4

PURCHASE INFORMATION
1. Purchases.—Report your firm’s total U.S. purchases of truck and bus tires. Estimates are acceptable.
Item

2013

Purchases of truck and bus tires
produced in--

2014

2015

Quantity (in number of tires)

United States
China
All other countries:1
Sources unknown
1

Please identify these countries:

2. Changes in purchasing patterns.—Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of truck
and bus tires from different sources have changed since January 1, 2013.
Source of
purchases

Did not
purchase

Decreased Increased Constant Fluctuated

Explanation for trend

United
States
China
All other
countries
Sources
unknown

3. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase truck and bus tires.
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Truck and Bus Tires

Page 5

4. Switching to imports.—
(a) Since January 2013, did your firm switch any of its purchases from U.S.-produced truck and bus
tires to imports of truck and bus tires from China?
Source

Yes
(also respond to parts (b) and (c))

No
(If “No”, skip to next question)

China
(b) If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was the imported product priced lower than the domestic
product?
Source

Yes

No

China
(c) If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was price a primary reason for the shift?

Source

Yes

If Yes, estimate the quantity
of purchases that your firm
shifted to imports since
January 2013 because of price
(in number of tires)

No

If No, please indicate the
reason for the shift

China
5.

U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a) Since January 1, 2013, in connection with a sale or offer to sell truck and bus tires to your firm,
did U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced truck and bus tires in order to
compete with lower-priced imports of truck and bus tires from China?
Source

Yes (also respond to
question part (b))

No (If “No”, skip to next
question)

Don’t know

China
(b) If your firm responded “yes” to China, please provide an estimate of the reduction in U.S.
producers’ prices, and any additional explanations, such as timing (e.g., months/years),
frequency of price reductions, or other market/competitive factors.

Source
China

Estimated
reduction in U.S.
prices
(percent)
%

Additional explanation, including such information as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price
reductions, or other market/competitive factors

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Truck and Bus Tires

Page 6

6. Other explanations--Please provide any additional comments in this box.

OMB INFORMATION
7. OMB statistics.--Please report the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of
completing this survey.
Hours

Dollars

The questions in this survey have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of
concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited
as possible. Public reporting burden for this survey is estimated to average 4 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the
survey.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for reducing
the burden, and any suggestions for improving this survey. Please attach such comments to your
response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436.

HOW TO FILE YOUR SURVEY RESPONSE
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the survey document.
Please submit the completed survey using one of the methods noted below. If your firm
is unable to complete the MS Word survey or cannot use one of the electronic methods
of submission, please contact the Commission for further instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the MS Word questionnaire along with a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: TIRES

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word survey to John Benedetto (202-205-3270, [email protected]) or
Michele Breaux (202-205-2781, [email protected]); include a scanned copy of the signed
certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic documents that are
electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information from unauthorized
disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document Information System (EDIS)
use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic algorithms to encrypt data in
transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not use these encryption algorithms
(such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to unauthorized disclosure during
transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic transmission, the Commission warns
you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is assumed by you and not by the Commission.
If your firm did not purchase this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned copy
to the Commission.