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Chameleon carriers: what the record shows
Reincarnated carriers in the public record and the identifier matches that surface them.
What the public record shows
- GAO's 2012 review (GAO-12-364) described 'chameleon carriers' that re-register under a new USDOT number to evade enforcement history, and recommended identifier matching.
- The Census prior-revocation flag and shared phone, address, email or officer names with a revoked DOT record are the public-record signals available.
- CarrierDaily shows these as counts and receipt lines; a match is a fact to verify, not a conclusion about intent.
Today's numbers
Live from the public record (2026-10-25T17:58:34+00:00): 125,716 active authorities, 5,609 brokers of property, 6,312 authority grants in the last 30 days, 865 insurance cancellations and 2,003 revocations or suspensions in the last 30 days.
Sources
FMCSA Licensing & Insurance · SAFER · SMS · FMCSA insurance filing requirements · data.transportation.gov
More guides
How to vet a carrier before tendering a load How to check if an MC number is active How to verify a carrier's insurance with FMCSA What is a BMC-91 filing What 'authority revoked' means What is an involuntary revocation Vetting a carrier with a new MC number What is double-brokering
Hubs
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Questions
Does FMCSA screen for this?
FMCSA's vetting program reviews new applicants for ties to carriers with unsatisfactory histories; the public record still shows the identifier matches.
Data reflects official public records published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (FMCSA) as of Oct 25, 2026 11:58 MDT. CarrierDaily provides factual public-record change monitoring and is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA.