politics
Trucking Groups Urge Congress to Pass Bill Targeting Chameleon Carriers
Eight trucking associations sent a letter to a House committee endorsing the SAFE Act, which aims to use technology to identify trucking companies that repeatedly shut down and reopen under new names to evade penalties. The risk assessment firm Fusable reported in 2026 that these carriers are four times more likely to be involved in crashes than compliant companies.
May 14, 2:53 PM·2m read1 source
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The associations endorsed the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act in the letter, which was obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller. Chameleon carriers are trucking companies that shut down and reopen under new names to avoid penalties, traffic fines and other accountability measures.
These operations often accumulate hundreds of traffic violations and accidents while using the same trucks, drivers and managers. The government has historically found it difficult to track them because they exploit loopholes and deficiencies in registration and detection systems.
The risk assessment firm Fusable found in 2026 that these illegal companies are four times more likely to commit car crashes than legal trucking companies. Chameleon carriers have also been linked to illegal alien truck drivers, often hiring unqualified or illegally operating drivers to evade safety regulations.
A February highway crash that killed four people involved an illegal migrant truck driver who allegedly swerved lanes and hit another car head-on. According to the letter from the trucking associations, the driver was linked to a chameleon carrier network operating out of Chicago.
The SAFE Act was introduced in February 2026.
It would leverage advanced automation and other emerging technologies within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's registration system to identify chameleon carriers at the start before they are allowed on the road. The letter states that the legislation would create an advanced vetting tool for companies and their drivers.
