Misclassified: New Jersey Truckers Fight Back

Thousands of truckers are misclassified as independent contractors, bearing all the risks of running a business without the rewards. In this episode, labor organizer Kyle Pettis of the American Communist Party joins Malmborg Report to break down the fight for drayage drivers’ rights at Port Newark and beyond.

Kyle shares how the United Drivers Defense Association (UDDA) is organizing truckers facing exploitative conditions, navigating legal wins, and pushing for a union-backed master freight agreement. He explains how misclassification leaves workers without basic protections (health insurance, guaranteed pay) and how the movement is gaining traction despite industry resistance. John and Kyle also explore the parallels between drayage truckers and Amazon’s DSP drivers, how trucking deregulation has fueled decades of exploitation, and why organizing in the trucking sector is critical to the future of labor power in the U.S.