Truckers would earn overtime pay under newly introduced bill

A Michigan lawmaker has introduced legislation that would overturn a portion of a longstanding labor law to allow truck drivers to collect overtime pay.

Representative Andy Levin recently introduced the “Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act,” which would repeal the motor carrier overtime exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Levin says that the bill would provide truckers fair compensation for the time that they spend working.

“While fixing the discrepancy in existing law is long overdue in its own right to bring us one step closer to truly fair labor standards for truckers, my bill also highlights that we are at a crucial moment for the industry writ large,” Levin said.

The bill is supported by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), as well as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and several highway safety groups.

OOIDA notes that the original intention of the FLSA overtime pay exemption for truckers was to prevent them from working too many hours.

“We know that for too long, too many people throughout the supply chain have placed little or no value on a driver’s time. This is partly because of the FLSA overtime exemption,” said Todd Spencer, President & CEO of OOIDA. “Shippers, receivers and carriers have never been forced to account for all the hours that they keep drivers waiting, since it costs them nothing to do so. By repealing the FLSA exemption, this bill would help make sure that drivers are compensated for all the hours they work. We thank Rep. Levin for finally standing up for truckers on this issue.”