Cummins is a classic American brand, and builds its engine in Indiana. But every heavy-duty Ram truck–including those with Cummins engines–is assembled in Saltillo, Mexico. Read on to find out which pickup truck is the most “made in the U.S.A.“

Where are heavy-duty pickup trucks assembled?

Ram is the only one of the Detroit Three assembling its heavy duty trucks south of the border, in Mexico. Its competitors by GMC, Chevrolet, and Ford, come from the U.S.

General Motors assembles its GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado trucks in the same factories. The 2500 and 3500 hail from Flint, Michigan. The 4500 and larger GM trucks are built alongside Navistar trucks in Springfield, Ohio.

Ford assembles all of its F-Series Super Duty trucks in either Avon Lake, Ohio, or Louisville, Kentucky. The F-150 hails from Dearborn, Michigan, or the Kansas City assembly plant.

It is difficult to rank the most “made in the U.S.A.” heavy-duty truck. The American Automobile Labeling Act requires automakers to print the assembly location and percentage of parts built in the U.S./Canada on the window sticker of all vehicles, but not heavy-duty trucks. So only half-ton and midsize trucks are included in lists of the most “American-made” vehicles.

Which pickup truck is the most American-made?

There are two schools of thought on the most “American-made” vehicles. Cars.com maintains a ranking based solely on where vehicles are assembled and where their components originate. However, other economists argue that it is important to consider where the vehicle is developed and where the automaker is headquartered.

Here’s how Cars.com ranks the most “American-made” pickups (excluding heavy-duty trucks).

1. Honda Ridgeline
2. Toyota Tundra
3. Jeep Gladiator
4. Ram 1500
5. Hyundai Santa Cruz
6. GMC Canyon
7. Chevrolet Colorado
8. Ford F-150 Lightning (EV)
9. Toyota Tundra Hybrid
10. Nissan Titan
11. Ford F-150 Hybrid
12. Nissan Frontier
13. Ford F-150 (ICE)
14. Ford Ranger
15. Ram 1500 Classic
16. GMC Sierra 1500
17. Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The experts at American University‘s Kogod School of Business have a different system for ranking the most made-in-the-U.S.A. trucks. They give extra points to companies headquartered in the U.S. or with research and development facilities here. They also add weight to complex parts such as the engine and transmission. Their goal is to rank trucks based on how much of the money spent on those trucks stays in the U.S. Here’s where pickups (excluding heavy duty trucks) stack up in Kogod’s overall ranking:

1. Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon – #4 overall
2. Ford F-150 (with 2.7, 3.3, or 5.0-liter engine) – #8
3. Honda Ridgeline – #10
4. Jeep Gladiator (V6) – #17
5. GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (diesel) – #17
6. Ford F-150 (with 3.5-liter EcoBoost) – #18
7. Ram 1500 Classic (U.S. assembled versions) – #21
8. Toyota Tundra (both ICE and hybrid) – #25
9. Toyota Tacoma (U.S. assembled version) – #25
10. Jeep Gladiator Rubicon (V8) – #26
11. Ram 1500 – #30
12. Jeep Gladiator (diesel) – #31
13. Nissan Titan – #35
14. GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (U.S. assembled version with 5.3-liter V8) #37
15. Ford F-150 Lightning (EV) – #40
16. Nissan Frontier – #42
17. GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (5.3-liter V8)
18. GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (Mexico assembled version)
19. GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (Mexican assembled with U.S. engines) #42
20. Ram 1500 Classic (Mexican assembled version) – #45
21. Toyota Tacoma (Mexican assembled version) – #52
22. Chevrolet Silverado (Mexican assembled with 5.3-liter V8) – #62
23. Ford Maverick – #70

As you can see, General Motors’ half-ton diesels rank high on Kogod’s list (5th place in trucks, 17th overall). The midsize diesel Jeep built through 2023 also does relatively well (12th/31st). If your curious where your used diesel truck was assembled, there’s an easy way to tell.

How to tell where your truck was assembled

Figuring out where a used truck was assembled is as easy as checking its VIN. Numbers that begin in a one, four, or five mean it hails from the U.S.A. Two means Canada, and three means Mexico. Obviously, this doesn’t tell you what percentage of its parts hailed from the U.S./Canada. But it does give away where final assembly happened.

Next, learn about the history of Cummins and the Russian Army, or see just how “American” your car is in the video below:

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