ELD fraud: drivers describe being forced to haul 16 to 22 hours a day for chameleon carriers

Drivers who hauled for chameleon carriers, many in the Super Ego network, described the work to Overdrive in a report published Nov. 10. When the 11-hour driving limit ran out, they said, the company rolled the electronic log back so they could keep going. Some reported 22-hour days. One driver waiting at a warehouse in Galesburg, Illinois, said a dispatcher the driver believed was in Bosnia simply reset the hours: "They magically fixed my clock."

The drivers, who were not named, also described chat groups on Viber and Telegram and cars that watched for police. A load that paid $6,000 brought the driver $1,200, one said. Another said the carrier owed $22,000 and towed the truck after the driver objected. These are the drivers' accounts. Super Ego, which calls itself an equipment lessor that does not dispatch drivers or run ELDs, relaunched in late October, and a drivers' class action against carriers tied to it was recently allowed to proceed, Overdrive reported.

Since April 1, CVSA's out-of-service criteria list ELD tampering as a separate violation, 49 CFR 395.8(e)(2). If an inspector cannot tell when the driver actually drove or rested, the driver is put out of service for 10 consecutive hours, CVSA Inspection Bulletin 2026-02 says. By mid-October, more than 5,000 DOT numbers had at least one such violation, with more than 16,000 in total, Overdrive and its sister company RigDig found. FMCSA has revoked more than 95 ELDs since January 2025, Overdrive reported, yet the device investigators saw reset in DeKalb, Illinois, on Oct. 28 is still registered.

The out-of-service order goes to the driver. FMCSA's coercion rule, 49 CFR 390.6, bars carriers, shippers, receivers and brokers from using threats to make drivers break safety rules. Agency guidance issued April 28 tells drivers to save ELD messages, texts and emails and to file a signed written complaint within 90 calendar days with the National Consumer Complaint Database or the FMCSA division office in their state. Federal law, 49 U.S.C. 31105, prohibits retaliation for filing.