Trucking news and briefs for Monday, July 27, 2026:
Bill to ban import, sale of Chinese vehicles, vehicle tech advances
Legislation in the U.S. Senate that would ban the sale of vehicles and vehicle technology linked to foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea -- including Chinese LiDAR systems used in some autonomous vehicles -- has cleared its first Congressional hurdle.
The “Connected Vehicle Security Act (SB 4429)” was approved July 22 by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and referred to the full Senate for a vote. The legislation was introduced in April by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio).
The bipartisan legislation would prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of connected vehicles, software, and hardware linked to China and other adversaries.
“China’s auto industry was not built to compete, it was built to destroy American manufacturing, gut the middle class, and undermine our national security,” Moreno said. “For decades, D.C. globalists propped up Chinese businesses – now it’s time for Congress to stop this cancer before it spreads through the American auto market.”
The bill also gives authority to the Department of Commerce to identify and block high-risk vehicle technologies, components, and transactions that threaten U.S. economic or national security; establishes enforcement mechanisms to ensure prohibited technologies are kept out of the U.S. market; and phases implementation with vehicle and software restrictions taking effect in 2027, and hardware restrictions in 2030, giving U.S. industry time secure domestic supply.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, representing owner-operators and small trucking businesses, applauded the Senate’s move to advance the bill. The organization highlighted a February 2026 financial report from autonomous truck developer Aurora, which noted that enacting bills that “prohibit and/or condition the use of Chinese-origin lidar in autonomous vehicles” and impact the company’s “ability to procure or use such products or components could materially and adversely affect our technology, operating plans, and commercialization timelines.”
A recent CNBC report also found that autonomous truck makers Kodiak AI and Waabi use sensors from Chinese company Hesai, which has been blacklisted for use by the U.S. Department of Defense since 2024.
“It’s unfathomable that 80,000 lb. driverless commercial vehicles currently operating on American roadways rely upon technology from a global adversary for navigation,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “That’s why OOIDA and the nearly 150,000 small-business truckers we represent applaud the Committee for passing the Connected Vehicle Security Act and we thank Senator Moreno and Senator Slotkin for their leadership on this legislation.
“Currently, autonomous systems put Americans, their vehicles, and their personal privacy at risk given so many critical unanswered questions related to cybersecurity, operational safety, and data transparency,” Spencer added. “The safest operator of an 80,000 lb. commercial vehicle on America’s roadways is a well-trained, professional, human truck driver.”
[Related: Trucking issues ultimatum to Congress in the race for a modern supply chain]
Rush Enterprises enters joint venture with Carrier Transicold dealer MCT
Commercial vehicle dealership network Rush Enterprises announced last week that it has signed an agreement to form a joint venture with MCT Companies, one of the largest Carrier Transicold dealers in the United States.
The joint venture will enhance service capabilities for refrigerated transportation customers through continued investment in technology and operations, the companies said.
Rush Enterprises and an affiliate of MCT Companies will each own 50% of the new joint venture entity, which will operate MCT Companies’ network of truck, trailer and rail refrigeration and auxiliary power unit dealerships throughout the Midwest and on both the East and West Coasts.
The formation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, but the parties expect the transaction to close during the third quarter of 2026.
The joint venture will be named MCT Holdings, LLC, and will be led by Bill Willett as Chief Executive Officer and President. For financial reporting purposes, Rush Enterprises does not intend to consolidate the joint venture within its Truck Segment or any other operating segment.
MCT Companies owns and operates a network of 17 Carrier Transicold full-service dealerships and three mobile service locations strategically located across the refrigerated freight market in California, Nebraska, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
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