WASHINGTON — The trucking industry is speaking out on the the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act introduced by Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) to combat chameleon carriers.
Chameleon carriers are high-risk trucking companies that are shut down and reopen under different identities—rotating through names, ownership structures, or U.S. Department of Transportation registration numbers—to avoid penalties, enforcement actions, insurance consequences and public scrutiny. They often continue using the same trucks, managers, drivers and addresses while pretending to be a brand-new company.
“Chameleon carriers are a plague on our nation’s highways, putting all motorists at risk while undercutting the vast majority of trucking companies that operate safely and play by the rules,” said Alex Rosen Asenior vice president of legislative affairs for the American Trucking Associations. “This legislation will give FMCSA a more powerful and proactive tool to identify and stop these bad actors before they can evade accountability by reappearing under new names, ownership or USDOT numbers. By leveraging advanced automation to flag suspicious registration applications, the agency will be better equipped to detect fraud, close loopholes, and keep unsafe carriers off our roads. Safety is a priority for our members, which is why we are grateful for the leadership of Senator Young and Senator Kim to strengthen federal oversight and build on the progress we’ve made alongside USDOT to remove high-risk carriers from our nation’s highways.”
The SAFE ACT
The SAFE Act establishes a mechanism to accurately detect chameleon carriers in the registration process, ensuring they are subject to enforcement for violations under the law.
Specifically, the bill:
- Requires the Government Accountability Office to study the prevalence of chameleon carriers, examine the crashes and fatalities associated with them and provide recommendations for strengthening enforcement.
- Directs FMCSA to develop, test, and implement an advanced automated tool that identifies applications exhibiting characteristics commonly associated with chameleon carriers, while ensuring final decisions remain with agency personnel.
- Improves information sharing among federal and state agencies to better detect fraudulent registration applications.
- Establishes an appeals process for applicants incorrectly flagged by the system and requires an audit of the tool’s effectiveness after implementation.
Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) introduced the SAFE Act in the House earlier this year.
Indiana Motor Truck Association (IMTA)
“For too long, chameleon carriers have been able to shed their identities, reopen under new names, and escape accountability for serious safety violations,” said Gary Langston, president and CEO, IMTA. “By exploiting weaknesses in the federal registration system, they have created an uneven playing field where responsible carriers invest in compliance, training, and safe operations while bad actors simply start over with a clean slate. The SAFE Act would give federal regulators stronger tools to identify suspicious registration applications and stop these rogue operators from operating on our highways. We applaud Senator Young for his longstanding leadership to improve highway safety and support the hardworking trucking companies that play by the rules every day.”
New Jersey Motor Truck Association (NJMTA)
“For too long, chameleon carriers have been able to change their name, paint over their past, and continue operating while putting the motoring public at risk,” said Chris Lutick, NJMTA executive director. “The SAFE Act exposes their true colors by giving FMCSA stronger tools to identify and remove bad actors from our highways. As a critical gateway for commerce along the East Coast, New Jersey will reap significant safety and economic benefits from restoring integrity to our transportation system. We are grateful to Senator Andy Kim for co-leading this commonsense legislation to enforce the rules and support New Jersey’s motor carriers that obey the law.”
Owner-Operator Independent Trucking Association (OOIDA)
“Chameleon carriers have undermined America’s highway safety and damaged the professionalism of the trucking industry by evading enforcement, dodging penalties and reopening under new identities,” said Todd Spencer, president, OOIDA. “Law-abiding small business truckers strongly support Senator Young and Senator Kim’s bipartisan SAFE Act. This legislation will help identify and weed out bad actors before they have the opportunity to ever become chameleon carriers, helping stop fraud before it occurs. OOIDA and our members applaud the introduction of this important bill in the Senate.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
