The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has forwarded correspondence to federal lawmakers seeking greater broker and trucker transparency concerning independent carrier compensation.
Brokers are third-party entities that contract with truckers to haul freight for shippers.
The OOIDA, the largest national trade association representing trucking professionals and professional truck drivers, maintains brokers often avoid federal regulations such as 49 CFR 371.3 requiring records of transactions be kept and made available to carriers.
In the correspondence, OOIDA brokers are demanding brokers immediately provide electronic copies of each transaction record once the contractual service has been completed and brokers should be prohibited from waiving 49 371.3 requirements.
“OOIDA has long pushed for greater transparency in transactions with brokers, but COVID-19 has made this an even more pressing matter,” OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer wrote. “With rates on the decline, many of our members are concerned they’re the only ones feeling the pain – or at least feeling a disproportionate amount of the pain. This will not change until Congress addresses the widespread evasion of 49 CFR 371.3. Therefore, when developing the next COVID-19 relief bill, Congress must include measures to prevent brokers from continuing to circumvent existing federal transparency requirements.”
Recent trucker protests in Houston, Hartford, El Paso, and other cities have focused on concerns brokers are taking advantage of independent truckers, the OOIDA said. The matter has served as a central theme of demonstrations currently being conducted near the White House.