Calling it a massive security threat, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, described the import of connected-vehicle components from China into the United States as “automotive fentanyl.’
Moreno made the remarks during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on Wednesday, July 22, where he promoted his Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026. S4429 would ban the use of connected-vehicle components from China and other foreign adversaries.
“What we’re doing is preventing a massive national security threat,” Moreno said. “I don’t want anybody listening to this to worry about their automobile, but your automobiles today are roving electronic devices … When you have companies that are domiciled or controlled by foreign entities of concern, that means those governments, including the (Chinese Communist Party), if we allowed these cars to come in here, could take over the braking, steering and acceleration of your vehicles. That is obviously an intolerable national security risk.”
The bipartisan bill, which was introduced by Moreno and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., advanced out of committee unanimously.
“I think a unanimous vote will send a message, mostly to our allies, that they need to stop this predatory behavior from the Chinese automotive industry, which represents an existential threat to our industrial base,” Moreno said at the hearing. “We will not commit industrial suicide, and we will not allow automotive fentanyl to enter the United States of America.”
Despite the unanimous vote, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, voiced concerns about the bill’s prohibition on manufacturers of connected vehicles in which foreign adversaries own more than 15%. Cruz said that the bill’s language could prevent Mercedes-Benz, which currently has about 19% ownership from entities in China, from selling automobiles in the U.S.
Although Cruz voted to advance the Connected Vehicle Security Act out of committee because of the threat to national security, he said the bill will not become law if the ownership provision isn’t amended.
OOIDA support
S4429 would apply to all vehicles, but it is especially important for 80,000-pound tractor-trailers that are federally mandated to use electronic logging devices.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association wrote a letter of support for the bill last week and applauded the committee’s decision to advance the legislation.
“OOIDA members, nearly 40% of whom are military veterans, care deeply about both roadway safety and national security,” Association President Todd Spencer said. “It’s unfathomable that 80,000-pound driverless commercial vehicles currently operating on American roadways rely upon technology from a global adversary for navigation.”
Spencer said that’s why OOIDA and its members support the Connected Vehicle Security Act.
“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 said. “The safest operator of an 80,000-pound commercial vehicle on America’s roadways is a well-trained, professional, human truck driver.”
The FBI issued a security bulletin in 2020, noting that cybercriminals could exploit ELD vulnerabilities. In 2024, researchers demonstrated that a commercial motor vehicle’s accelerator could be hacked through an ELD. LL
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