Chameleon carrier is the word of the year in transportation in my opinion. You may or may not keep up the news in logistics, but these so called “chameleon carriers” are a hot button issue as of late. We have been talking about them and sharing interesting tidbits about them for the past year in the office but just last week 60 Minutes aired a segment exposing them to the public.
The term was coined about a decade ago but has become increasingly more prevalent since the Covid freight boom of 2021. A chameleon carrier is a trucking company that has been shut down, fined, or placed out of service, but reappears under a new company name and DOT number to avoid penalties. On paper, these carriers appear and legitimate new businesses, but in reality, they use the same trucks, drivers, and management creating higher risks for shippers and the motoring public. The old company with bad safety scores is dissolved and the cycle continues. Companies that operate like this are four times more likely to be involved in serious crashes due to lower hiring standards, less emphasis on safety, and higher urgency to get freight delivered.
These companies don’t just skirt the system to continue their operation. They cut corners and act unethically in every aspect of trucking from shorting driver pay to hindering your next job prospect by not providing employment verifications. Chameleon carriers represent a huge part of what is wrong with trucking today and it is nice to see that they are finally getting some attention and consequences.
These carriers are notorious for offering lease purchase programs on trucks and/or trailers. Just another layer of their scheme to have someone else pay for the equipment and then nickel and dime the driver to death with weekly owner operator deductions like IFTA, insurance, and maintenance. This is a no-win situation for a driver trying to live the American dream of being their own boss. I have talked to many people fooled by flashy advertising and too good to be true ownership programs. It always makes me sad to see anyone get taken advantage of, much less the people that keep this country moving.
The grass is rarely greener on the other side. We take pride in our Recruiting department representing McLeod as honest as we possibly can. If we missed a detail, I hope you call us out on it so we don’t make that mistake again. We appreciate each and every one of your partnerships and hope that none of these chameleon carriers have taken advantage of you.