EXCLUSIVE: GOP’s Illegal Trucker Crackdown Gets Powerful Backer
The most powerful union in the United States is putting its weight behind a GOP effort to crack down on a longtime trucking industry gimmick behind many horrific highway crashes. The International Brotherhood of…
The most powerful union in the United States is putting its weight behind a GOP effort to crack down on a longtime trucking industry gimmick behind many horrific highway crashes.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is officially endorsing the Safety and Accountability in Freight Enforcement (SAFE) Act introduced by Republican Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman, the Daily Caller News Foundation has exclusively learned. The legislation aims to eliminate the prevalence of “chameleon carriers,” trucking companies that repeatedly reopen under new identities after being shut down.
The high-profile endorsement comes as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, responding to a wave of deadly wrecks involving illegal migrant truck drivers across the country, are aiming to completely revamp the industry.
“Chameleon carriers have gone unchecked for decades, harming and weakening America’s trucking industry,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement provided to the DCNF. “These unscrupulous operators jeopardize the safety of everyone on our roadways and threaten the livelihoods of truck drivers who follow the rules.”
“The Teamsters commend Rep. Hageman for taking an aggressive stance to rein in the worst of the worst in the trucking industry, and we strongly endorse the SAFE Act,” O’Brien continued.
Chameleon carriers are typically trucking companies that rotate through Department of Transportation (DOT) registration numbers, names or ownership structure to avoid enforcement actions. After being shut down by regulators for any number of violations, these companies will simply reopen under a new name and registration number, all while using the same trucks and staff.