Sponsors
The bill increases security and traceability of DoD freight by screening foreign military‑linked firms, creating a registry, and strengthening recordkeeping/enforcement, but does so at the cost of higher compliance burdens, potential exclusion of small carriers, short‑term capacity disruption, and near‑term regulatory uncertainty.
DoD freight and the public: Chinese military‑linked firms will be screened out and motor carrier activity for military cargo will be tracked via a centralized registry, improving protection of U.S. defense logistics and visibility of military shipments.
Government contractors and DoD logistics: Prime contractors must flow requirements and keep carrier records for five years and the bill creates an explicit statutory entry for federal coordination, increasing supply‑chain accountability and a clear legal basis for oversight of commercial carriers supporting defense logistics.
Carriers that move DoD freight: False certifications can trigger suspension, debarment, and criminal penalties, creating stronger enforcement deterrents against concealment of prohibited foreign ties.
Small and large carriers and subcontractors: New screening, recordkeeping, and any future registry requirements will raise administrative compliance costs and ongoing paperwork burdens for carriers that handle DoD freight.
Small carriers and owner‑operators: Ambiguous standards about 'significant business relationships' may exclude some small firms from DoD work, reducing competition and potentially increasing freight prices for defense shipments.
DoD contractors and the freight network: Requiring integration of the new certification into carrier approval processes on a 180‑day timetable could disrupt contracting timelines and cause short‑term freight capacity constraints for military shipments.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Requires carriers and all tiers of DoD surface-freight contractors to certify they are not owned/controlled by or in significant business relationships with listed Chinese military companies, retain records, and face penalties for false certifications.
Introduced March 12, 2026 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress March 12, 2026
Requires motor carriers and all tiers of contractors moving Department of Defense surface freight to certify, after reasonable inquiry, that they are not owned or controlled by — and do not have significant business relationships with — companies on the U.S. list of Chinese military companies, and to flow that certification requirement to subcontractors and owner-operators. Sets record-keeping and penalty rules, directs the Department of Defense to issue implementing regulations within 180 days, and inserts a placeholder for a national security registry for carriers in title 49 of U.S. law without specifying program details.