Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), in coordination with our Operations Committee, filed comments to the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to ensure that TIA Members had their voice heard regarding proposed rule making by the Trump Administration, which revisits the classification of employee status, whether that be an independent contractor or employee.

This rule will pose a series of questions to help quickly determine employee classification, which seeks to reduce the current confusing tests that ultimately lead to harmful lawsuits and misclassification. TIA welcomes a strong set of federal guidelines, rather than the piecemeal approach which has been laid out in courts.

TIA has and will continue to make clear that our members deserve the freedom and flexibility that all parties enjoy in an independent contractor status. TIA’s comments focus on and ask the DOL for a 21st-century test and questions that are germane to the modern workforce which, for TIA Members, includes independent sales teams that work both on and off-site. These agents are used to a level of freedom set by their schedule and contractual financial obligation.

“TIA applauds the Department for taking this necessary step towards reducing confusion and modernizing the classification process for independent contractors who play an integral role in the 3PL industry and our 1,800 member companies," stated Chris Burroughs, Vice President of Government Affairs for TIA.