Trucking Industry Lacks Ownership Restrictions Compared to Other Sectors

While most critical U.S. industries have strict foreign ownership rules, the trucking industry remains largely unregulated.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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The American trucking industry stands out as the only major sector of the U.S. economy with virtually no restrictions on foreign ownership. Unlike industries such as maritime, fishing, aviation, broadcasting, and nuclear energy, the trucking industry does not require citizenship verification or limits on foreign investment for companies operating on U.S. highways. This lack of oversight raises concerns about supply chain security, public safety, and the potential for abuse by foreign adversaries.

Why it matters

The disparity in foreign ownership rules between the trucking industry and other critical U.S. sectors highlights a potential vulnerability in the nation's transportation infrastructure. While most industries that touch on national security, public safety, and critical infrastructure are heavily regulated to prevent foreign control, the trucking industry remains an outlier, allowing foreign nationals to easily register motor carriers and put large commercial vehicles on American roads without any citizenship verification or ownership restrictions.

The details

Unlike the maritime industry, which requires 75% U.S. ownership of vessels and crews, or the airline industry, which mandates 75% American voting interest and an American president, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration imposes no such citizenship requirements on trucking companies. Foreign nationals can easily form a U.S. LLC, obtain a USDOT number, and dispatch commercial vehicles across every state without any scrutiny of their ownership structure or beneficial control.

  • The American Fisheries Act of 1998 established the 75% U.S. ownership rule for fishing vessels.
  • The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, requires vessels engaged in coastwise trade to be U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, at least 75% U.S.-owned, and crewed by at least 75% U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  • The Air Commerce Act of 1926 and the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 require at least 75% of the voting interest in any domestic airline to be owned or controlled by U.S. citizens.
  • Section 310(b) of the Communications Act of 1934 restricts direct foreign ownership of a broadcast station to 20% and indirect foreign ownership through a parent company to 25%.
  • The Mineral Lands Leasing Act of 1920 restricts foreign ownership of leases for mineral deposits on federal lands, allowing foreign participation only on a reciprocal basis.

The players

Rob Carpenter

The author of the article, who previously ran a seafood company in Virginia and is familiar with the regulations governing foreign ownership in various industries.

Glenn Cooke

The Canadian CEO of Cooke Aquaculture, who faced citizenship requirements when acquiring a U.S. seafood company.

W.R. Etheridge

A Wanchese fisherman who built a processing operation that eventually became an international seafood powerhouse.

Malcolm Daniels

The son-in-law of W.R. Etheridge, who turned the Wanchese Fish Company into an international seafood business.

Sir Richard Branson

The British billionaire whose Virgin Group had too much influence over the U.S. airline Virgin America, requiring the company to restructure its ownership and governance before receiving DOT certification.

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What they’re saying

“American soil belongs in American hands.”

— Kim Reynolds, Governor of Iowa (N/A)

What’s next

The article does not mention any specific next steps, as it is focused on highlighting the lack of foreign ownership restrictions in the trucking industry compared to other critical U.S. sectors.

The takeaway

The trucking industry's lack of citizenship requirements and foreign ownership restrictions stands in stark contrast to the tight regulations governing other industries that are deemed critical to national security and public safety. This disparity raises concerns about the potential vulnerabilities in the U.S. transportation infrastructure and the need for policymakers to re-evaluate the oversight of the trucking sector.