Broker transparency will be a hot topic at MATS

Broker transparency is expected to be a hot topic at this year’s Mid-America Trucking Show.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association each plan to lead seminars involving brokers at the annual truck show.

MATS will be March 30 through April 1 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville.

FMCSA is scheduled to present a seminar on broker regulations at 10 a.m. Eastern on Friday, March 31 in room B104 of the Expo Center. OOIDA’s Gary Wright is planned to provide advice on how to deal with brokers at 9:45 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 1 on the ProTalks Stage in the East Hall.

The discussion regarding brokers heated up in 2020, when OOIDA petitioned the agency for more transparency in transactions with brokers.

OOIDA’s petition asks the agency to:

• Require brokers to automatically provide an electronic copy of each transaction record within 48 hours after the contractual service has been completed.
• Prohibit brokers from including any provision that requires a carrier to waive their rights to access the transaction records.

Regulation CFR 371.3 already requires that brokers keep records of each transaction with a carrier and that each party to the transaction has a right to view these records.

“OOIDA’s recommendations to enhance compliance with 371.3 are not attempts to control rates or impose burdensome requirements but would simply ensure that motor carriers have access to documents they have the right to view,” the Association wrote.

FMCSA opened OOIDA’s petition for comments in August 2020. Later that year, FMCSA held a listening session regarding broker issues. Then in November 2020, the Transportation Intermediaries Association petitioned the agency to eliminate the transparency requirements. In all, nearly 1,500 comments were filed to the broker transparency-related dockets.

FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson told Land Line late last year that the agency planned to address the issue in early 2023. It’s unclear whether the agency plans to discuss its decision at MATS or if it will use the seminar as another information-gathering opportunity.

OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said the Association’s broker session aims to educate and strengthen small-business truckers’ ability to be more profitable.

Other events at MATS

OOIDA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, will sponsor MATS’ opening reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.

“For 50 years, OOIDA has been representing truckers and fighting to make their lives and industry better,” Pugh said. “OOIDA has never changed our model from being started by truckers. That has continued with a board made up completely of truckers who are living the same life of its members every day. With that we will be looking forward to celebrating the opening night at Louisville with both old and new friends alike.”

In addition to FMCSA’s session involving broker regulations on April 1, the agency is scheduled to host a general seminar on Friday, March 31. The noon-to-1 p.m. session is expected to include updates on the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the truck driver compensation study, and the detention time study.

A complete schedule of MATS’ events can be found here. Registration for the truck show is open. LL