Five Independent Contractors Named to Trucking’s Ambassador Program

Independent contractors enlisted to advocate for critical trucking business model

The Coalition for Independent Truckers announced the inaugural class of its Independent Contractors Ambassador program. The IC Ambassadors will dedicate several days each month to attending events with business leaders, elected officials and members of the media to advocate for the independent contractor business model, which is a critical sector of the nation’s trucking industry.

“The ambassadors we are announcing today have the crucial role of spreading awareness about their livelihoods as independent contractors in the trucking industry,” said Bill Webb of the Coalition for Independent Truckers. “With more than 71 percent of freight in this country being moved by truck, and a substantial portion of that freight being moved by independent contractors, the nation’s economy is heavily reliant on the men and women who pursue this type of work. The five inaugural IC Ambassadors are tasked with educating the public about their careers and explaining how safely and efficiently independent contractors are able to move America’s goods.”

The five independent contractor ambassadors represent a strong cross-section of trucking and have distinct haul-types and experiences that will make them credible, engaging spokespeople for the industry.

In total, the five ambassadors have more than 11.2 million safe miles of driving and more than 109 combined years of truck driving experience.

The inaugural class of the trucking industry’s Independent Contractor Ambassador program includes:

• Steven Bettis, an independent contractor signed on to CRST Malone, one of the oldest, privately-held flatbed carriers in the industry. Bettis is based out of Tennessee, has more than 21 years of experience as a truck driver and more than 2 million safe driving miles.
• Michael Hatico, an independent contractor to Hirschbach Motor Lines. Hatico is based in Iowa and comes to the program with 17 years of truck driving experience and 1.25 million accident-free miles.
• Thomas Miller, an independent contractor to Prime Inc. Miller is an active America’s Road Team Captain who has more than 25 years of experience as a truck driver and more than 3.1 million safe driving miles. Miller is from Illinois.
• Thomas Smith, an independent contractor signed on to John Christner Trucking. Smith, from Colorado, joins the program with more than 27 years as a truck driver and 3.35 million accident-free driving miles.
• Mark Boucher, an independent contractor to Dart Transit. Boucher is based in Louisiana and has more than 19 years and 1.5 million miles of truck driving experience.

The Coalition for Independent Truckers is a coalition of independent truckers, motor carriers, service providers, independent associations and affiliated organizations committed to the singular mission of protecting and enhancing the independent contractor capacity model that is vital to the trucking industry and the economy of the United States. The non-partisan coalition represents a unified and powerful voice that believes the hundreds of thousands of truckers operating as independent contractors, each one a vibrant small business, constitute an irreplaceable element of our national logistics network and the U.S. economy.

As part of this mission, the coalition launched the Independent Contractor Ambassador program to create outreach opportunities for independent contractors to educate policymakers, the media, and the general public on the important role the independent contractor business model plays in the trucking industry.

Independent Contractor Ambassadors will serve the industry by advocating in state capitals, attending conferences, penning op-eds, and speaking to the media. The ambassadors will personally and systematically deliver the message that the independent contractor business model is critical to the trucking industry, allows capacity to be optimized, and provides entrepreneurial opportunities to those in the trucking industry who desire them.

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