Georgia Built America’s Supply Chain. We Can’t Let Foreign Trade Tear It Down.

The conflict in Iran and President Xi’s never-ending quest for China to control global supply chains highlight the national security risks of overreliance on imported products. Having the capacity to manufacture essential wartime products and materials here at home is critical to U.S. national security. 

Here at Great Dane, our history attests to this: during World War II, Great Dane built 4,500 military trailers right here in Georgia. Our high-tensile steel trailers earned a reputation for durability, and Great Dane became the only civilian producer to receive the Army-Navy “E” Award for Excellence five times. America needs domestic manufacturing to support our military in times of crisis, and we must not rely on China and other foreign countries for essential metal products. 

American manufacturing is being decimated by foreign countries like China, Canada and Mexico skirting international trade laws and flooding the U.S. trailer market with unfairly traded imports. This is not a partisan issue, it’s simply one that requires bold leadership to ensure the 50,000 American jobs supported by this industry, including thousands of Georgia jobs, aren’t lost to countries who cheat the system.

Great Dane, an American success story, is now under threat of these unfair foreign trade practices. 

Founded in Savannah in 1900 by my great-great-grandfather, Great Dane grew alongside the U.S. highway system, supported by generations of American workers who believed hard work leads to prosperous business. But this belief relies on a simple principle: markets must be free and fair. When foreign producers dump products or rely on government subsidies to push out U.S. companies, the market stops working as intended.

To enforce fair competition, protect national security, and ensure American trailer businesses have the opportunity to thrive, Great Dane has joined U.S. competitors to file a historic Antidumping and Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD) case with the International Trade Commission (ITC).

This AD/CVD case is about saving over 50,000 American manufacturing jobs and restoring a level playing field for free and fair competition. We have worked closely with Georgia’s federal delegation and will rely on their ongoing support in the months ahead as we work to stop China, Canada and Mexico cheating the system and compromising our national security. 

The ITC has already begun to recognize the severity of this threat. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that trailer producers in China and Mexico benefit from unfair government subsidies and imposed preliminary duties on imported trailers. While this decision marks significant progress toward restoring fairness in the U.S. trailer market, the case is far from over. Final determinations are still ahead, and continued enforcement of U.S. trade laws will be essential to protecting American manufacturers, workers, and our national security.

The U.S. government has a consequential decision to make: allow foreign imports to keep undermining U.S. manufacturing through unfair trade practices, or uphold U.S. trade laws that guarantee fair competition and protect our national security. 

Call your representatives today and urge them to support our mission to maintain over 50,000 American jobs in the trailer sector. This trade case embodies the principles at the heart of the American Dream: hard work, fairness, and equal opportunity for every worker.

Chris Hammond is Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs at Great Dane, where he works in the transportation industry to advance innovation and performance in trailer manufacturing.