SAFE Act
Sponsored By: Senator Young, Todd [R-IN]
Introduced
Summary
Stop "chameleon carriers" that rebrand to dodge safety rules. The bill would create a definition of chameleon carriers and require tools, studies, and information sharing to detect identity-based evasion and support enforcement.
Show full summary
- For carriers and insurers: It would define behaviors like creating new or affiliated companies, misrepresenting ownership, or reusing USDOT numbers to avoid penalties. Applications flagged by the tool would trigger a notice and a 30-day window to correct or contest the record before final redetermination.
- For FMCSA and partner agencies: FMCSA would be required to develop, test, and implement an Advanced Automation Tool within 1 year. The tool must enable automated information sharing under memorandums of understanding with Treasury, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, State, USPS, and state agencies.
- For oversight and safety outcomes: The Comptroller General would produce a study on prevalence, fatalities, injuries, property damage, evasion techniques, and enforcement gaps within 1 year. The Department of Transportation Inspector General would audit the tool's effectiveness and report within 2 years of implementation.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
New ID checks for freight carriers
If enacted, the bill would define "chameleon carriers" as transport firms or related people who change names or ownership to hide bad safety or insurance records. FMCSA would have 1 year to build, test, and run an automated tool to flag USDOT registration applications that show continuity with prior bad actors. The tool would look for safety history, shared addresses or officers, asset transfers, insurance lapses, and other signals. FMCSA staff would make final registration decisions, not the tool alone. If the tool caused a denial, applicants would get a notice listing flagged factors, get 30 days to fix their application, and FMCSA would redetermine within 30 days of a corrected submission.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Young, Todd [R-IN]
IN • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 7/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov