Rep. Takano Leads Bipartisan Push to Guarantee Overtime for Truckers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) joined Congressman Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) in introducing the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act. This legislation would eliminate the current existing exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 that exempts truckers from receiving overtime compensation.
“Truckers have been left out of overtime opportunities due to archaic standards,” said Congressman Mark Takano. “The impact of truckers on the supply chain to get Americans the goods they rely on entitles these workers to competitive wages. In an industry plagued with high turnover, the most common-sense solution is to guarantee overtime pay to drivers.”
It is common practice for truckers to be compensated for the miles driven, rather than the actual time spent on the road or hours waiting to offload and load cargo. The current exemption within the FLSA denies drivers overtime pay, and this translates into insufficient pay for truckers and immense annual turnover rates. We must make it perilously clear that the time of driver’s is equal with other professions.
Furthermore, the implications of insufficient pay for drivers on supply chain logistics are also sweeping as the supply chain recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Transportation recommended in recent 2022 Report to repeal the motor carrier provision to improve supply chain performance.
The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act is supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Truck Safety Coalition, and the Institute for Safer Trucking. Full text of the bill is available here.
This is the latest action Congressman Takano has taken to protect and advocate for workers. Earlier this year, Congressman Takano reintroduced legislation to create a 32-hour workweek in order to modernize labor laws to catch up to the changing economic and employment environment.