The American trucking industry has been plagued by companies that rack up safety violations and penalties, then shut down and quickly reopen under a new identity to evade regulatory enforcement and hide poor safety records. Such companies have become known as chameleon carriers.
But the Department of Transportation is taking action to prevent chameleon-carrier fraud by rolling out a new, modernized registration system.
'The lack of accountability is disturbing, and it’s killed American families on our roads.'
The DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on Tuesday the live launch of Motus, a system that “replaces a decades-old network of loosely connected applications rife with fraud, waste, and abuse.”
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs called Motus “a major advancement.”
“This system improves efficiency for legitimate carriers while strengthening FMCSA’s ability to detect fraud, improve data quality, and identify unsafe operators,” Barrs stated.
The previous “fractured” registration system allowed bad actors to easily exploit loopholes and “game the system,” according to the DOT.
“This outdated registration system operates on a low-barrier, minimal-validation framework — making it alarmingly simple for fraudsters to register as motor carriers. All they needed was an email, name, and physical address,” the DOT stated.
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The department estimated that there are “several thousand suspicious registration numbers tied to fraudulent carriers.”
The DOT’s new unified registration system will rely on biometrics and data analytics to verify the identities of carrier applicants. Motus mandates identity verification protocols, such as government-issued identification and digital facial scans.
“Dangerous foreign drivers and the shell companies who employ them have been taking advantage of this lax, decrepit federal registration system for years. The lack of accountability is disturbing, and it’s killed American families on our roads,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated. “Thanks to President Trump, we are delivering a new registration system that will stop fraud dead in its tracks and strengthen oversight on shady carriers.”
“And for good, honest drivers who follow the rules — our new system will improve customer service, enhance reliability, and cut down on red tape,” Duffy continued. “Today marks another important milestone in our crusade to make America’s roads safer, and it reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to cracking down on fraud wherever it hides.”
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A battle over America's roads is unfolding in the Supreme Court, where demands for accountability clash with efforts to deregulate the industry, as the national spotlight remains on accidents caused by non-domiciled, non-English-speaking truck drivers.
The court's ruling could have major implications for the more than 150,000 Americans injured and the over 5,000 killed in large truck accidents each year, by potentially stripping or safeguarding the legal recourse available to victims and their families.
'Remove any legal accountability for brokers, and you remove the incentive for them to care.'
SCOTUS heard oral arguments on March 4 in the case of Shawn Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which involves a December 2017 collision between two semi-trucks: one operated by the plaintiff, Shawn Montgomery, and the other by an individual employed by Caribe Transport II, a small motor carrier hired by broker C.H. Robinson Worldwide.
The complaint explains that Montgomery was parked on the shoulder of Interstate Highway 70 in Cumberland County, Illinois, when another truck rear-ended his vehicle at high speed, resulting in severe and permanent injuries, including the amputation of Montgomery's leg.
Montgomery's lawsuit was filed against the driver, the carrier, and C.H. Robinson. He accused C.H. Robinson of "negligent hiring," citing Illinois common law. His case reached the Supreme Court after a lower court moved to dismiss it, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act bars state-level negligence suits against brokers — third-party providers that connect shippers with carriers without owning trucks or hauling freight themselves — for their carrier selections.
The ongoing case has caught the attention of those in the trucking industry who are concerned that a SCOTUS ruling in favor of C.H. Robinson would set a precedent that prevents crash victims and their families from seeking legal recourse against brokers.
While President Donald Trump's administration has been receptive to concerns about reforming the nation's broken trucking industry, the U.S. position in the Montgomery v. Caribe case indicates a potential shift.
Trump's Department of Justice submitted an amicus brief supporting C.H. Robinson, arguing that the FAAAA preempts any state law related to the "price, route, or service" of a broker. This, the DOJ claimed, includes how brokers select carriers. Although the rule carves out a safety exception allowing states to enforce such laws, the U.S. government contended that the exception does not apply to this case.
The U.S. argues that brokers are already required to select an authorized motor carrier, which means that the carrier has met the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's "rigorous safety standards." Allowing such lawsuits against freight brokers would "require brokers to second-guess federal registration decisions and independently evaluate the safety history of the carriers they select."
"A judgment for petitioner on that claim would thus necessarily impugn Caribe's overall operations, thereby undermining FMCSA's determination that Caribe satisfies federal registration requirements, including rigorous safety requirements," the U.S. amicus brief reads.
American Truckers United, an advocacy group, warned that if SCOTUS agreed with the U.S. government's argument and ruled in favor of the respondent, it could allow freight brokers to have "blanket immunity" when selecting unsafe and high-risk carriers, leading to a "race to the bottom."
ATU filed its own amicus brief, urging SCOTUS to side with Montgomery.
"If brokers are immunized from tort liability, they will have an unrestrained incentive to hire the cheapest motor carriers available for every load, regardless of poor safety records, regulatory non-compliance, defective equipment, and other red flags. Low-cost, low-quality carriers will completely displace safe carriers in the market," ATU wrote.
ATU noted that many carriers maintain only the minimum required liability insurance, which covers just a small portion of the cost for crash victims and their families. The group also pointed out the FMCSA's lack of resources to keep up with the "chameleon carrier" crisis, explaining that when carriers lose their operating authority due to noncompliance, they "dissolve, reincarnate themselves under new identities, and reenter the market."
A separate amicus brief filed by the Institute for Safer Trucking on behalf of Montgomery wrote, "The reality of the compliance-review scheme is bleak. FMCSA is apparently unable to conduct compliance reviews of carriers within a reasonable time. More than ninety-four percent of all active interstate freight carriers remain 'unrated' as of 2023."
The FMCSA has previously admitted its limitations. In a 2023 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FMCSA stated that it "has resources to issue safety ratings to only a small percentage of motor carriers each year," adding that the agency's rating "does not necessarily reflect the current safety posture of a motor carrier."
FMCSA officials said that "they do not have the resources to vet all for-hire carriers that apply for new operating authority," according to a 2012 Government Accountability Office report.
The Truck Safety Coalition, a network of victim and survivor volunteers, also filed an amicus brief supporting Montgomery that referred to freight brokers as “gatekeepers in determining who hauls freight on the roadways and who doesn’t.” The TSC stated that the industry has exploded in recent decades, from just 70 brokers in 1975 to over 28,000 today.
Rena Leizerman, from the Law Firm for Truck Safety and co-counsel for Montgomery, told Blaze News in a statement, “Broker negligence lawsuits aren't filed in every crash. They get filed when there's evidence that a broker hired someone with a known, serious safety history and chose to look the other way.”
“C.H. Robinson argued to the court that it should be completely off the hook for negligence. No exceptions. Not even if it knowingly hires a carrier with no insurance. Not even if the carrier isn't legally registered to operate. Not even if it already knows the carrier has a dangerous record. Zero accountability, no matter what,” Leizerman’s statement continued.
“Brokers make money on the gap between what shippers pay them and what they pay the carrier. The wider the gap, the more profit. So they push carrier rates down, and carriers survive by cutting costs — driver screening, safety training, equipment upkeep, insurance — until the day everything goes wrong.
“Remove any legal accountability for brokers, and you remove the incentive for them to care. Safe carriers, the ones who invest in doing things right, end up getting underbid by carriers who skip basic safety. It's a race to the bottom, and it's the rest of us sharing the road who pay the price,” she added.
Dorothy Capers, chief legal officer at C.H. Robinson, also provided a statement to Blaze News.
"A single, uniform federal framework is essential to keeping interstate commerce safe, efficient, and consistent with Congress' design," Capers said. "Allowing a patchwork of state tort laws to regulate broker services would undermine that system, increase uncertainty, and disrupt the flow of goods Americans rely on every day."
The stakes of the pending Montgomery case are already playing out in the nation’s courtrooms.
On May 24, 2024, a semi-truck driver allegedly blew through a stop sign on U.S. 84 in Texas, killing 28-year-old Tiana Moore and her mother, Tanya Maria King. Moore’s family sued the driver, the carrier, and the freight broker that had hired the carrier.
When the case was about to go to trial, the broker, citing the ongoing Montgomery case before the Supreme Court, requested and received a stay, leaving the family in limbo.
Moore's father, David Moore, spoke to Blaze News about the tragic accident. He expressed his goal of raising awareness to inspire policy changes and help the American public understand how regulations affecting the trucking industry impact lives nationwide.
"The impact that it's really had on our lives, and even this ongoing process, it's been, obviously, the most difficult thing that I've ever had to deal with — and not just me, but my family," David Moore said.
Ultimately, the Moore case was closed a short time later when the parties reached a confidential settlement. While in this instance the family was able to reach an agreement outside the courtroom, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Montgomery case will determine whether crash victims and their families retain or lose a major avenue for accountability in the future.
SCOTUS is expected to give a decision in the Montgomery case by June.
The Department of Transportation deferred comment to the Department of Justice, which stated it had no further remarks beyond its amicus brief.
Legal counsel for Caribe Transport II did not respond to requests for comment.
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A U.S. government-backed recruiting ad exploited what officials said was an obvious crossover in interests.
This led to a rapid intake of job applications that will likely fulfill a key role that has been criticized over the past few years for being at the center of disastrous diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices.
'We've leaned into that community.'
On April 10, the Department of Transportation put out a call for applicants to consider transitioning to a career in one of the most prioritized roles the federal government has to offer: air traffic controllers.
The one-minute ad targeted adult gamers by focusing on their attention to detail, multitasking, and simply put, their ability to take in a vast amount of data through a screen.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed on Friday there was an obvious crossover in interest between gamers and air traffic controllers.
"We polled 250 random students at our academy, and only three of them were not gamers. Like, there must be a correlation between gaming and people wanting to become air traffic controllers," Duffy said at the Semafor World Economy event in Washington, D.C. "So we've leaned into that community."
The recruitment push turned out to be shockingly successful, and after just seven hours, the recruitment portal was almost ready to be shut down.
"We went live last night at midnight — and as of 7:00 this morning, we had almost 6,000 applicants. We are going to shut down the application process at 8,000."
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Duffy told the audience, "If we're not there right now, for sure we'll be there by noon," at which point there will not be a need for any more applications.
As Return previously reported, Duffy met his goal to recruit at least 2,000 new air traffic controllers last September by bringing in 2,026. This came from a group of 10,000 applications, with more than 8,300 being referred to aptitude testing.
On Friday, Duffy spoke more about the correlation between the gamer mindset and what it takes to be an air traffic controller.
"If you think just what these gamers are doing on screens, and they're talking, and there's a lot of things going on. They're used to that, and that's actually what you're doing, in a tower, in a facility," Duffy continued. "They've become well-suited, from the games they've played, to actually have a great life [and] job that pays well and can support their families."
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The transportation secretary did stress that the applicants have to be qualified and will go through an assessment process. However, "We've had a flood of people, young people coming in that want to be air traffic controllers ... this has been wildly successful."
The department will still endeavor for its ongoing goal of hiring at least 8,900 new air traffic controllers through 2028.
An audit from 2025 by the Office of Inspector General stated that the FAA employs about 13,000 air traffic controllers in over 300 facilities across the U.S. Nearly 10,600 of those are "certified professional controllers."
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's visit to the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, in late March drew overwhelmingly positive reactions from truckers and other industry professionals.
"Truckers are the BACKBONE of our great country," Duffy wrote in a post on social media. "I am so impressed by every one of them at the Mid-America Trucking Show! I promise to fight as hard as the truckers do to MAKE TRUCKING GREAT AGAIN."
'We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening.'
A press release from MATS following the completion of its event, which over 53,000 people attended, called Duffy's participation "a major highlight," noting that the secretary "met with industry leaders, exhibitors, and professional drivers to discuss the importance of trucking to the nation's economy, supply chain, and infrastructure."
"The visit underscored the federal government's recognition of trucking as a critical pillar of American commerce and mobility," MATS wrote.
Duffy delivered a speech at the event, promising to advocate for American truckers.
"You make up what is great about America. The work you do, makes our country great," he told attendees.
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Industry professionals like Danielle Chaffin shared their video interviews with Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Derek Barrs, who spoke to truckers on the show floor.
"So you guys do pay attention to us?" Chaffin asked Duffy and Barrs.
"100%," Duffy responded.
"Even when I think we're doing great things, I get a little hard time from those on X. But I do appreciate the feedback, and we see it's a very loud voice — a vocal industry. And I think that's fair because, if you've been forgotten, you felt like you're screaming into the storm. Well, you're not screaming into the storm anymore because we're actually listening, and you see the work that we're doing."
"We are watching because that's some of the ways that we can actually make some of the changes that we're making is because of X and people on social media," Barrs told Chaffin.
“This industry has spent years shouting into a void. Finally, years later, our voices and concerns are being heard,” Chaffin told Blaze News. “Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs stood in a room full of truckers and treated them as the experts they are. They spoke with genuine concern and care for the people who actually move this country. They made it very clear they are paying attention to the operators, the owners, and those of us who have been sounding the alarm on X.”
“We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right people are finally listening,” Chaffin continued. “Not only are they listening, but they are taking action. We are making progress to save the American trucking industry!”
Charles Gracey, who hosts SiriusXM's "Trucking Sense" and FreightWaves' "Brake Check," gave Duffy and Barrs high praise for their attendance at MATS.
"When an administration is truly paying attention to the people it represents, there will be signs," Gracey wrote. "One of those signs is showing up where those people actually are, and that is exactly what U.S. @USDOT @SecDuffy and @FMCSA @BarrsDerek did at the Mid-America @truckingshow in #Louisville."
"What makes it even more powerful is that they did not just show up for optics. They showed up, they engaged, and they took time to hear our thoughts about the industry we know and love, and the very same industry they say they are working to protect for us and for the future of trucking," Gracey added.
Duffy and Barrs were joined at MATS by Dalilah Coleman, a young girl who sustained critical and life-altering injuries as a result of a 2024 car wreck involving an illegal alien truck driver.
Dalilah's Law, a bill named after Coleman, was introduced in the Senate in February. If passed, it would prohibit states from issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens, allowing them to be issued only to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and holders of specific work visas. Additionally, the bill mandates the revocation of existing CDLs held by individuals who do not meet these eligibility criteria.
"Proud to see Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy standing in the gap for Dalilah at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY," the American Truckers United wrote. "Stand with Secretary Duffy. Stand with Dalilah. Pass Dalilah's Law!"
Justin Martin, a trucking industry professional who goes by SuperTrucker on X, called on government leaders to attend MATS more frequently.
"DOT/FMCSA leadership should be at MATS every year to hear from drivers in the industry directly. Thanks for coming out this year," Martin wrote.
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The Trump administration is looking to tap a seemingly untouched resource: video game-playing adults.
A federal agency put out a call on Friday using a video that literally starts like an Xbox game.
'It's not a game. It's a career.'
After a series of short video-game clips, text on the screen asks, "Are you up for the challenge?"
"You've been training for this," it continues, building suspense, before a gamer sitting in front of his computer screens is transported into his new career: ensuring that passenger planes take off and land safely and without incident.
"Become an air traffic controller," the ad says, with a club remix of the 2009 Yeah Yeah Yeahs hit "Heads Will Roll" playing in the background.
"It's not a game," the upbeat recruitment spot declares. "It's a career."
The 70-second video told prospective applicants that not only would they keep "millions of people safe" every day, but they would "make a lot of money" doing so.
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Per the ad, gamers making the jump to an air traffic controller career could look forward to an "average salary" of "$155,000 per year after 3 years."
Air traffic controller was just one of the roles at the Department of Transportation and FAA that was revealed to be sorely out of touch when President Trump took office for his second term in 2025.
Last year, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported that a near hour-long grounding of planes could be linked to "incredibly old technology" that utilized floppy discs and copper wires.
Earlier in 2025, documents about FAA hiring practices showed that the federal agency had been specifically looking to hire people with disabilities, which included "hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability, and dwarfism."
This appears to be a stark contrast to the Transportation Department under Duffy, who once called the department's systems "not effective to control the traffic that we have in the airspace today."
Last September, Duffy met his goal to recruit at least 2,000 new air traffic controllers by bringing in 2,026. This was coupled with a stated goal of hiring at least 8,900 new air traffic controllers through 2028.
"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," Duffy said about the ad targeting gamers. "This campaign's innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller," he told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
According to a 2025 audit from the Office of Inspector General, the FAA employs about 13,000 traffic controllers in over 300 facilities across the U.S. Nearly 10,600 of those are "certified professional controllers."
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Approximately 200,000 foreign truck drivers will no longer be able to renew their commercial driver’s licenses following the Department of Transportation’s final rule that took effect on Monday.
The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses,” in February to prevent “unqualified foreign drivers” from operating big rigs and buses on American roadways.
‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first.’
A press release from the FMCSA noted that in 2025, non-domiciled drivers caused 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths.
The announcement followed a nationwide audit that found “systemic non-compliance” in the issuance of non-domiciled CDLs in several states.
The final rule’s key provisions include limiting non-domiciled CDLs to foreign nationals with H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 visas. It also terminated Employment Authorization Documents as acceptable proof of eligibility. Additionally, it required state licensing agencies to verify the eligibility of foreign nationals through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
RELATED: Foreigners want to drive a big rig? They'll need more than work authorization papers, Duffy says.
Therefore, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders, and those relying solely on work authorization documents are no longer eligible to obtain a CDL.
Foreign nationals who no longer meet these qualifications may continue to drive as long as their current license remains valid. However, they will not be able to renew their licenses once they expire.
The Washington Post estimated that the final rule, which took effect on Monday, will impact about 200,000 CDL holders.
“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems — wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated during February’s announcement of the final rule. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head on.”
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In the latest about-face in his nascent term in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has reversed course on a promise he made about traffic in the Big Apple.
The New York Post reported Thursday that Mamdani has walked back his commitment to enact a "daylighting" policy at intersection crosswalks.
'We always take a holistic approach, and we really look at the unique conditions and context of each location.'
Daylighting is a policy designed to ban parking near pedestrian crosswalks, allowing for safer travel by foot throughout the city.
Mamdani publicly declared in February that "we deserve to have all [intersections] daylighted," according to the Post.
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However, Mamdani's Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn indicated Tuesday that this promise was more talk than walk.
“Daylighting is definitely one important tool but as a few of us have mentioned earlier, we always take a holistic approach, and we really look at the unique conditions and context of each location,” Flynn told the city council.
The Post previously reported that enacting a universal daylighting policy across the city would be extremely costly for New Yorkers. The city would lose an estimated 300,000 parking spots and could foot a bill as large as $3 billion.
“The Mamdani administration is committed to following the data, listening to the evidence, and working with City Council and our experienced advocacy partners to expand daylighting effectively and maximize street safety across the five boroughs,” Mamdani spokeswoman Dora Pekec said in a statement to the Post.
This isn't the first campaign promise Mamdani has reneged on.
Last month, Mamdani brought back homeless encampment sweeps during a massive snowstorm that swept the city. Mamdani had promised to ditch the policy during his campaign. At least 19 people died outdoors during the cold snap on Mamdani's watch.
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Thirty people died in 17 semi-truck crashes caused by noncitizen commercial truck drivers in 2025, according to the Department of Transportation. That number is almost certainly an undercount. Prior to 2025, the immigration status of a commercial truck driver was mostly not recorded in crash reports, court filings, or news coverage. The national conversation focuses […]
WILL alleges the states continue to employ state-based Minority Business Enterprise programs to achieve 'racial goals.'
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