SAFE Act
Sponsored By: Representative Hageman
Introduced
Summary
Automated detection of 'chameleon carriers'. This bill would require the Government Accountability Office to study how freight firms evade safety rules and would direct the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to build and test an automated screening tool to flag suspicious registration applications.
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- Families and road users would see stronger data on harm because the GAO report must estimate the number of chameleon carriers, and state-by-state counts of fatalities, serious injuries, and property damage since the 2012 GAO review.
- Freight companies and registration applicants would face automated screening for continuity between entities and lapses in insurance. Applicants flagged by the tool would get notice and 30 days to correct their application, with a redetermination due 30 days after the fix.
- Federal, State, and local agencies would be drawn into new data-sharing agreements. The bill calls for memoranda of understanding with Treasury, Justice, USPS, Homeland Security, Commerce, State agencies, and DOT operating administrations to share information for screening.
- Insurers and investigators would get clearer evidence because the tool must compile indicators like ownership links, asset or equipment transfers, insurance continuity, driver and employee continuity, and public advertising to support registration decisions.
- Oversight would increase through an Inspector General audit within 2 years of the tool's implementation that must report flagged and rejected registrations, any reductions in severe crashes, error or redetermination counts, and recommendations to improve the tool.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New legal definition of chameleon carrier
This bill would define "chameleon carrier" on enactment to include carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and related parties that adopt new or affiliated identities to evade FMCSA orders, penalties, or insurance consequences. The definition would explicitly cover getting insurance under a different identity, misrepresenting ownership or control to insurers, and reincorporating after insurance denial or cancellation for safety or compliance reasons. If enacted, this would give FMCSA and partners a clear basis to spot and target entities that try to avoid safety oversight. The definition would take effect upon enactment.
New FMCSA screening tool for applicants
This bill would require FMCSA to build, test, and put a computerized screening tool in place within 1 year to flag registration applicants that look like they are trying to evade safety or insurance rules. The tool would check safety history, shared owners, inactive or transferred DOT numbers, insurance lapses, driver and asset continuity, and other signs of a "chameleon" operator. If an application is denied because of a tool flag, the applicant would get a notice listing the flagged factors and could fix the application within 30 days. FMCSA must re-review corrected applications within 30 days, and the tool could give staff recommendations but could not make final registration decisions alone. The tool would also support automated information sharing with other federal and state agencies under memoranda of understanding, and the law would limit disclosure of tool data to the statute's purposes.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Hageman
WY • R
Cosponsors
Taylor
OH • R
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Van Drew
NJ • R
Sponsored 3/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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