The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act was introduced by Representative Andy Levin (D) and it would repeal the motor carrier exemption that’s in the Fair Labor Standards Act. This exemption excludes many drivers from overtime pay protections. As stated by Levin in an article by FreightWaves, “truck drivers across the country face brutal working conditions marked by inadequate pay and long hours. Despite their tireless work, truck drivers do no receive overtime pay for overtime hours”. This is one of the many reasons why there is such a high turn over rate in the trucking industry. This is why he is pushing for truck drivers to be paid the overtime they deserve. Truck drivers will continue to grow tired of these conditions which will continue to increase the turnover rate.
They also report that the National Industrial Transportation League does not believe that the bill will gain much traction but are still monitoring activities. Many carriers are worried that if the bill does go through truck drivers will need to be paid more than they are now, creating lack of sustainability for many carriers as they stand today.
Levin, on the contrary, argues that this bill will also enhance safety on the roads. He thinks, “when truck labor raters are fair, there are fewer incidents of driver fatigue, fewer regulatory violations, a reduction in crash rates… so it’s going to prevent a lot of these tragedies that happen when truckers are forced to work way too long.” Hopefully with this bill, truckers won’t be worked as hard and if they are required to work more, they are compensated appropriately.
