An investigation by 60 Minutes has laid bare a long-standing problem in the trucking industry: so-called “chameleon carriers” that accumulate serious safety violations, shut down on paper, and then reopen under new names with new Department of Transportation numbers, often at the same address. These operators continue the same unsafe practices until a crash exposes the danger they pose to the public.
For those inside the industry, the report was not a surprise but a confirmation of what they have seen for years. During the pandemic-era freight boom, a surge of new entrants chased high rates, and many cut corners on compliance, treating safety as an obstacle rather than a responsibility. Greg Hodgen, CEO of Groendyke Transport and chairman of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), wrote that there is no place in trucking for such behavior.
Hodgen argued that bad actors not only undercut professionals who invest in training and maintenance but also endanger everyone on the road. “Responsible carriers should not have to compete against companies willing to gamble with public safety,” he said, praising the Trump administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking action to shut down these operators.
The deeper problem, according to Hodgen, is not unclear rules but enforcement that fails to reach the industry’s front door. Federal law requires new motor carriers to undergo a safety audit within their first year of operation to confirm they have real safety systems in place. However, due to staffing shortages and resource constraints at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), many new entrants wait far longer for an audit, and some never receive one at all.
FMCSA data shows that fewer than one in four carriers enrolled in the New Entrant Safety Assurance Program receive a safety audit, and only about 60% of those are completed on time. Most audits are performed by state enforcement agencies that are already stretched thin and struggling to recruit and retain qualified commercial vehicle enforcement officers. This gap is exactly where chameleon carriers operate, cycling identities and moving freight under new authorities with little scrutiny.
Hodgen emphasized that safety enforcement cannot be sustained on good intentions alone. “If Congress wants the Transportation Department to carry out its safety-critical mission, appropriators must ensure that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has the resources to do the job,” he wrote. He noted that highway safety happens in the field, where investigators and inspectors make sure the rules are followed.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs told 60 Minutes that his agency needs more manpower to oversee the vast trucking industry. Many safety audits are now conducted remotely rather than onsite, which limits investigators’ ability to detect fraud and verify compliance. Onsite audits provide a clearer picture of a carrier’s safety practices and legitimacy.
The ATA is calling on Congress to use this year’s appropriations process to fully resource the Transportation Department’s safety mission, including staff for inspections, investigations, and oversight at the state and field level. “The 60 Minutes investigation shows what happens when oversight arrives too late,” Hodgen concluded. “The solution is to make sure it arrives early and consistently.”
This push for stronger enforcement comes amid broader debates over regulatory oversight, such as California tightening rules on autonomous vehicles after safety incidents, and Rosen signaling openness to Trump's $400M White House ballroom citing safety concerns. The trucking industry’s struggle highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring safety in a rapidly evolving transportation landscape.
