Conn. Trucking Firms Seek Clarification on Employee Definition

Connecticut trucking companies are asking Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) and state lawmakers to intervene in a dispute with the state’s Labor Department over how workers are defined for tax purposes, the Associated Press reported.

The Labor Department ruled that pilot car drivers working for Superior Flag Car are employees, not independent contractors. As a result, the company owes the state $36,276 in back unemployment insurance taxes, AP said.

Companies pay taxes for employees, but not contractors.

Brokers and their drivers have called on Rell and state legislators to intervene, and at least one broker has threatened to shut down, leaving drivers without booking agents and trucking firms looking for escorts, AP reported.