Excellent article taken from the Journal of Commerce, Aug. 10, 2009 Issue, page 8.
‘Reincarnated’ Truckers Live On
MORE THAN 1,000 trucking companies shut down for violating federal safety rules may still be operating on U.S. highways under new names. Federal investigators call them “reincarnated motor carriers” — and they’ve proved harder to stop than one of George A. Romero’s zombies. These bus operators or truckers shut down one moment and reopen under a different name, often using the same physical and mailing addresses, the Government Accountability Office said. Congress last year demanded an investigation when a carrier that operated a bus was involved in a fatal Texas accident turned out to be a “reincarnation” of a company ordered out of service by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration two months earlier. The operator had simply registered with the FMCSA under a new name. The GAO identified a potential 1,073 carriers, including truckers, that may be “reincarnated” companies. At least 500 of those motor carriers were still operation as recently as June, the GAO said.
