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Abstract

Chameleon carriers are motor carriers that evade regulatory enforcement by dissolving and reregistering under new corporate identities. This study, commissioned by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), examined how states characterize, detect, and respond to chameleon carrier activity and assessed its financial and safety impacts in Kentucky from 2020 through 2025. The research team conducted a literature review of existing agency practices and relevant stakeholder perspectives, reviewed administrative codes and statutes across 13 pilot states, and administered two structured surveys to state motor carrier credentialing officials examining carrier characterization and enforcement practices. An analysis of KYTC's carrier data flagged by CVIEW provided estimated Road Fund revenue losses attributable to suspected chameleon carriers across four tax and fee programs. Safety analyses compared flagged and non-flagged carriers across roadside inspection violations, citations, and crash involvement using FMCSA data. Research results revealed significant definitional and enforcement gaps across states and documented financial and safety impacts attributable to suspected chameleon carrier activity in Kentucky.

Report Date

8-2026

Report Number

KTC-27-03

Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.13023/ktc.rr.2027.03

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