Japan
USA trade laneKei trucks — Japan's 660 cc mini trucks, 550 cc before 1990 — have become the workhorse of American farms, vineyards, ranches, hunting land, campuses and resorts: small enough for a barn door, with a fold-down bed, and many with four-wheel drive. Every month another batch of Japanese-market trucks crosses the 25-year line, and through 2026 that means trucks built in 2001.
Two things decide whether a kei truck makes sense: the duty and the state you live in. Trucks pay the 25% 'chicken tax' that has applied to imported light trucks for decades, and while many states register 25-year-old kei trucks like any other vehicle, several have restricted or stopped registering them. AGF ships kei trucks bought from Japanese dealers and exporters — the Japan side through WCA partner agents, as AGF has no office in Japan — and coordinates the US end from Glendale: devanning at partner facilities near the ports in Los Angeles, entry through our licensed customs brokers, and delivery to your property.
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Shipping Kei Trucks from Japan to USA
Kei trucks are small enough to share a container efficiently. Exporters commonly load up to about seven in a 40ft High Cube using a stacked method — each truck's front raised and resting on the bed of the one ahead — and fewer when loaded flat; we confirm the load plan with the exporter. Yokohama to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days by container, and RoRo to Long Beach about 14–18 days for running trucks.
Farm trucks come with farm dirt, and USDA refuses vehicles carrying soil, so the underbody and bed are washed before loading. Check the frame and bed for rust from snowy prefectures before you pay, and buy ahead of Japanese New Year, Golden Week and Obon, when export paperwork stops.
- Up to about seven trucks in a 40ft High Cube using stacked loading
- Container: about 11–20 days Yokohama to Los Angeles/Long Beach; RoRo about 14–18 days
- Underbody and bed washed for USDA soil rules
- Devanned near the ports in Los Angeles, then trucked to your farm, ranch or dealer lot
What Drives the Cost
- Duty: 25% of the customs value under HTS 8704.31 — the Section 301 layer adds nothing because the base rate is already higher; verified at quoting
- Your share of the container — stacked loading spreads ocean freight across more trucks
- Inland transport in Japan from the dealer or auction yard to the port
- Condition: rust, four-wheel drive and options such as dump beds drive the purchase price more than freight
- State title and registration fees, inspections, and any off-road or farm registration your state requires
- Delivery from Los Angeles: flatbed or car carrier to your property
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8704.31 | Kei trucks — light goods vehicles with petrol engines | 25% base rate (the chicken tax). Where the base rate is 12.5% or more, the Section 301 layer on Japanese goods adds nothing. Verify at quoting. |
| 8703.21 / 8704.31 | Kei vans — Hijet, Every, Acty and Sambar vans | Passenger or goods classification depends on the van's design and seating, and the difference is 2.5% or 25%. Passenger kei vans of 1,000 cc or less also appear on a Section 232 metals list — a ruling from our customs brokers before purchase. |
| 8708 | Parts shipped with the trucks — dump-bed kits, wheels, body panels | Many lines are Section 232 auto parts at 15% all-in for Japan; others pay 12.5% in total under Section 301. Line by line at quoting. |
Regulations and Compliance
The 25-year rule — no exceptions for small trucks
Kei trucks were never built to US safety standards, so they enter only once they are at least 25 years old to the month of manufacture, declared on DOT form HS-7 (box 1) and EPA form 3520-1 (code E). Newer kei trucks are generally refused as road vehicles, and we do not book them on an 'off-road only' story we cannot stand behind.
The 25% chicken tax
Light trucks have carried a 25% US base duty since the 1960s, and kei trucks are classified with them. Because that base rate is above 12.5%, the 2026 Section 301 layer on Japanese goods adds nothing. Budget 25% of the purchase price, not 2.5%.
State registration — check before you buy
Many states title and register a 25-year-old kei truck like any other vehicle, some only for roads below a set speed limit. Others have restricted them: Rhode Island fought over revoking registrations, then in 2024 ended new ones and confined existing trucks to roads posted 35 mph or less; Maine stopped registering them for road use and, after a state study reported in early 2026, still does not; and Pennsylvania has allowed only off-road, farm or antique registration since late 2021. Rules change every legislative session, so get your DMV's answer in writing before you pay.
Kei trucks in California
In California a kei truck is a direct import like any other car: road registration requires modification and certification by a CARB-approved laboratory, which is rarely economic for a mini truck. Many California owners use them on private land — ranches, vineyards, orchards, large properties — without road registration. We will not tell you a kei truck is street legal in California.
Soil and export papers
USDA refuses vehicles with soil, so trucks are washed before loading. The export certificate for a kei vehicle — 輸出予定届出証明書, issued when the truck is deregistered for export — is your ownership document; keep the original and get a certified English translation for your DMV.
Door-to-Door Import Service
Before you buy, tell us your state and the truck's details: we check the build date against the 25-year rule, the registration position in your state as far as it is published, and quote duty and freight. Our WCA partner agent in Japan, or the exporter's forwarder, collects the truck, completes the export paperwork and NACCS declaration, washes it and loads the container; we file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.
In Los Angeles our licensed customs brokers file the entry and the HS-7 and 3520-1, the container is devanned at a partner facility near the ports, and the truck goes by flatbed or car carrier to your farm, ranch or lot with the stamped entry summary, the export certificate and its certified translation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are kei trucks legal in California?
How much duty do I pay on a kei truck from Japan?
Which states allow kei trucks on the road?
How many kei trucks fit in a shipping container?
Kei Trucks is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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