Dangerous Trucking Corporations Continue to Operate Under New Names
Trucking companies are required to register their fleets with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). If their company is cited for too many violations or their drivers get into too many accidents, the FMCSA slaps them with fines and may eventually shut them down.
This should be the end of the road for the carrier and an incentive to remain in compliance with safety regulations. However, stealthy operators have found a way to slip back into business unnoticed. The carrier simply changes its name and registers under its new alias. These chameleon carriers, thus, avoid hefty fines and can start anew with a clean slate.
Chameleon Carriers Change Their Names, But Not Their Colors
But changing one’s name does not mean the carrier has also changed its conduct. On the contrary, the new company is likely to continue conducting business as usual.
Carriers with a troublesome history may continue to put unsafe tractor-trailers on the roads and to hire drivers with an extensive record of traffic violations and accidents. Even when the new company attracts the attention of the FMCSA, government officials have failed to put two and two together that this is the same operation it closed down before. The government agency may shut down the carrier once again. Then, just as easily as it did before, the chameleon carrier changes its name and registers once again. The disturbing process could go on indefinitely until regulators step in.
Why Isn’t Traffic Enforcement Agency Vetting Trucking Companies
As U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer aptly put it, the “loophole” used by chameleon carriers is “so large you could drive a truck through it.”
There really is no excuse. Vetting trucking corporations is not difficult for a large government agency with sophisticated technology at its disposal. The FMCSA has access to records and is able to conduct site visits to determine whether a new registrant is a chameleon carrier. Furthermore, collecting the millions of dollars in fines from the old company would, for one, mean more money in the agency’s coffers to conduct enforcement and, possibly, lead official to the new chameleon carriers.
In February 2014, the FMCSA enacted regulations to expand its authority to close trucking businesses that demonstrate a pattern of egregious disregard for safety rules, which includes carriers that attempt to conceal violations using the deceptive chameleon techniques.
Hopefully, this action indicates an emphasis on stopping chameleon carriers from reentering the road and putting the public at danger.
Disparti Fowkes & Hasanbasic represents consumers throughout Pasco County and Pinellas County, including residents of Trinity, New Port Richey, Port Richey, Hudson, Zephyrhills, Dade City, San Antonio, St. Petersburg, Seminole, Oldsmar, Treasure Island, Belleair Beach, Clearwater, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Gulfport, Indian Shores, Pinellas Park, Tarpon Springs, and Largo.