The rise of global manufacturing has had a huge impact on the auto industry. For one, it makes it easier for companies to chase cheap labor around the world in an effort to maximize profits. But there's been plenty of pushback, especially recently. Nowadays, for instance, the government is focusing on how American-made cars can be made even more American. Remember, the only U.S.-based brands to finish in the top 10 of the 2026 American-Made Index were Tesla and Jeep. Now, there isn't the same sort of buzz around where big rigs get built — yet inquiring minds still want to know. And it turns out that quite a few are indeed manufactured in this country, including big names like Freightliner, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack, Western Star, and International. Speaking of international trucks, Volvo also has a huge plant in the United States. The flipside to the story — and an example of how hard it can be to parse a vehicle's origins –- is that foreign companies own a number of the so-called U.S. brands. With that in mind, we'll try to cut through the clutter and bring out some details, like the brands' respective Class 8 market shares. That way, you can see how things are playing out for semi trucks in the real world. Read more: There's A Good Reason Semi Trucks Don't Use V8s Kenworth They say necessity is the mother of invention — well, either that or Frank Zappa –- and that's exactly why Kenworth came to be. It was founded by Harry Kent and Edgar K. Worthington in 1923 to meet the needs of lumber companies in the Pacific Northwest. Apparently, typical trucks were finding it too hard to navigate the logging roads in the area, as they were often not much more than narrow