Fighting Back
To help preserve the Independent Contractor (IC) model, a group of stakeholders has come together to create the TIE coalition. The purpose of the coalition is to educate policymakers on the value of the independent contractor model, identify successful independent contractors who can share their stories, and coordinate efforts amongst the companies, trade associations, and other participants. We are engaging Congress to ensure they understand the role the IC driver plays in the economy, their states, and also their districts. We are bringing in drivers to meet with members of Congress and share their stories as entrepreneurs and members of our communities.
We Need Your Help
Members of Congress want to hear from you! Contact your Member of Congress and let them know how the Independent Contractor model gives you the freedom to run your business as you see fit. Let them know that the proposed rule could have a devastating impact on your business and on the country’s supply chain.
Truckers Integral to Our Economy
Truckers Integral to Our Economy or TIE, is a 501(C)4 association focused on the preservation of the Independent Contractor business model in the trucking industry.
Who We Are
Preserving the Independent Contractor
Independent contractors are vital to the United States economy and our Nation’s global competitiveness.
Truck owner/operators promote efficiency and an increased ability to meet demand. This is especially important in spot markets where independent contractors help meet temporary and dramatic demand shifts.
Our current system of moving freight would be impossible without trucking as nearly 72 percent of all US freight tonnage is delivered by truck, and in most communities, trucks are the only form of delivery.
Furthermore, freight tonnage is projected to increase by an average of 1.4 percent per year through 2045, according to the Department of Transportation. As other methods of transportation are declining in use, trucks are projected to carry the largest share of the additional freight traffic. This exemplifies how trucking is the critical lifeblood of our economy, and we must protect the industry, and the dedicated independent contractors within to keep our nation's economy thriving.
Flexibility to Meet Demand; Delivering Through the Pandemic
The flexibility of the independent contractor is vital and will continue to play an integral role in solving supply chain challenges. IC drivers are able to adjust schedules to accommodate fluctuating demands during seasonal produce harvests and holiday periods. Furthermore, it's no secret that America’s truck drivers were on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering goods to every corner of this country while putting their health at risk. Independent contractors have been vital to meeting these needs and they will remain vital in meeting the continued needs in supporting the global supply chain.
Growing the Economy
Long-Distance General Freight shipping continues to be a challenge, but as the attached graph shows, the flexibility of the IC drivers is starting to grow to meet that need. Note that the number of “establishments” (entities/businesses) created each year is on a sharp rise, and these establishments are becoming progressively smaller or independent. According to Dr. Jason Miller at Michigan State University, the growth of these independent contracting establishments may even enable the labor market for long-distance, general freight trucking to correct the shortage by the second quarter of 2022.
Preserving the American Dream
These new businesses will strengthen U.S. competitiveness and enable countless Americans to pursue the American dream by building their own business. It is essential that we protect these trucker’s livelihoods and the investments they have made in bettering their own lives, the lives of their families, and the lives of their communities.
We support policies that encourage the American dream – that reward the entrepreneur. We want to support workers who strive to run their own business, and be their own boss. America cannot afford to adopt labor policies that will snuff out that dream!
White House Reclassifies Independent Contractors
The Department of Labor has issued new rules that will force the reclassification of independent contractors.
Fighting Back
If we all stand together, we can make our voices heard and STOP reclassification from disrupting our supply chain and the economy.
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