Fatal Attraction: Should You Work for Chameleon Carriers?

Maybe you’ve seen advertisements for job listings from companies with unrealistic pay levels. Some of the more aggressive recruitment campaigns claim to pay anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 per week. If you get in on a lease-purchase program, you might see a promise of 88% from every load.

CBS News 60 Minutes conducted an investigation into one of these types of trucking companies known as Super Ego Holding, a company at the epicenter of a huge alleged chameleon carrier fraud scheme. What 60 Minutes uncovered was alarming. Fixed ELDs in constant violation of HOS rules, and chameleon carriers that would simply reincarnate under a new business name after developing a bad safety record.

At Trucker Social, we understand how truckers will find the promises of easy money alluring. We hope that this article will help you to reconsider when you look at how chameleon carriers like this can behave.

Whistleblower Told to Overwork and Exploit American Drivers

CBS News 60 Minutes did an interview with one of the whistleblowers from Super Ego Holdings. He said that dispatchers were supposed to overwork and exploit American truck drivers based on what they were told. You can see the interview of that whistleblower on 60 Minutes in article form on their page.

The whistleblower would go on to say that what angered them the most is that they couldn’t pay their bills, they couldn’t eat, and they couldn’t pay rent. You can see a YouTube review from one of the disgruntled truckers teemo Watson here.

In a massive class-action lawsuit, over 800 truckers filed a lawsuit against Super Ego Holdings in 2022 for routinely trapping owner-operators into predatory lease-purchase agreements.

Over 800 drivers would say that they would work 4,000-mile weeks only to come home with negative paychecks, despite the promises of big pay. This would allegedly happen after the company would deduct hundreds or even thousands of dollars for excessive lease-truck purchases, insurance fees, fuel charges, and trailer rentals.

Overworking American Truckers

Drivers who worked for Super Ego Holdings were allegedly always in constant violation of HOS rules. What would happen with the ELDs is that as soon as drivers hit their time for the day, managers back in Serbia would illegally reset the federally mandated time clocks, letting them work past the time limits.

Routinely, drivers would work anywhere from 18 to 20-hour days. Despite how hard they worked, the promised pay between $8,000 and $12,000 weekly was allegedly never forthcoming for many of the drivers who filed the lawsuit.

One of the drivers who claims he paid $35,000 and lost his truck in a lease-purchase program, Daniel Sanchez, would say that they don’t care about you or any other driver on the road.

They would have him drive out to get money for trucking any way that they could. If you went to jail or whatever else, they would simply have a new trucker taking your place the next day. When questioned if they followed through with their promises on the pay, Sanchez would say that they didn’t live up to the pay at all.

Instead, he would come home with negative amounts on his paycheck. Clearly, this wasn’t a single event either because over 800 drivers are filing a class-action lawsuit.

You Face the Consequences, They Get a New Driver

Under the current regulations, truckers are the ones who face the consequences for driving with companies like this. There’s a real long-term risk that you could receive violations to your drivers license, which will hurt your ability to get jobs in the future. Meanwhile, as truck driver Daniel Sanchez said, they would have you replaced the next day.

Even if there are chameleon carriers out there offering actual big payouts for driving with them, it’s not worth it. Most of the risk will be placed on you.

Let’s take an example of a school bus accident that 60 Minutes uncovered related to Super Ego Holding.

Frederick Campbell, a 35-year-old driver hauling with a Super Ego-owned trailer, hit a school bus and was charged with reckless driving, falsification of time records, operating a CMV with an out-of-service condition, and failing to stop for a school bus.

The Florida Highway Patrol cited him as severely fatigued with that being the main cause of the accident.

What are Your Thoughts?

As an industry veteran, my advice to truckers is to always be cautious when choosing who you work for. Your CDL can legitimately make you tons of money over time and change your life. Always protect that piece of plastic in your pocket. Chameleon carriers can cost you your career, and in some cases, they can cost you your freedom.

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