A new-from-the-ground-up broker-carrier contract model hammered out by Alexandria, VA-based Transportation Intermediaries Assn. (TIA) is being released for review and potential endorsement by trucking industry representatives.

Finalized during the recent TransComp and Intermodal Expo shipper convention in Anaheim, CA, the new contract provides legal wording to cover agreements between brokers and carriers and should also eliminate the need for the parties to read through unfamiliar legal documents before entering into a business relationship, said Robert Voltmann, TIA president & CEO. The contract is being submitted to the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) for review and potential endorsement, he added.

“TIA believes that the best solutions to protect shippers and carriers are ones that rely upon market-based, private industry initiatives tailored to address the needs of shippers, carriers and intermediaries,” Voltman said.

He added that TIA’s board of directors also endorsed a similar draft for shipper/broker intermodal agreements, produced by Pacer International at the request of the Intermodal Assn. of North America (IANA).