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Illinois Carrier Faces Widened Contractor Misclassification Battle

A federal judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit against Risinger Brothers Transfer Inc., expanding litigation over whether the Illinois-based carrier improperly classified drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois approved the motion Friday, allowing drivers beyond the two original plaintiffs to join the case under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Driver Michael Contreras serves as the lead plaintiff. The drivers allege Risinger misclassified them as independent contractors while controlling their work through assigned routes, set delivery windows, and dispatcher assignments. They also cite per-mile compensation rates as evidence of control. Judge Jonathan Hawley ruled the plaintiffs met the threshold for class certification but cautioned the decision does not presume merit to their allegations. Risinger operates multiple driver categories including lease-purchase, owner-operator, team, and third-party carrier drivers.