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Truckers need overtime exemption removed to benefit from ‘Beautiful’ bill
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill has been passed and signed into law, but the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association believes the legislation excluded a critical provision that would benefit truck drivers.
The bill, which was signed into law on Friday, July 4, is touted by the White House as “the largest tax cut in history for middle- and working-class Americans.”Some of the benefits include no taxes on tips, overtime wages and social security benefits.
Of course, truck drivers won’t benefit from the no tax on overtime provision, as a longtime law exempts motor carriers from having to pay truckers time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours in a week.
That’s why OOIDA is asking Congress to take an additional step and pass the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act.
The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require that employee truck drivers receive overtime compensation when they exceed 40 hours in a work week.
“Eliminating taxes on overtime pay for blue-collar workers is a well-intentioned move,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Unfortunately, truckers won’t benefit from this key provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill due to their exclusion from overtime protections under the outdated Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It’s time for Congress to fix a nearly century-old oversight by passing the bipartisan GOT Truckers Act and ensure truckers are eligible for both overtime pay and the tax relief extended to other blue-collar workers.”
In March, Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., reintroduced the GOT Truckers Act (HR1962) in the House, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., reintroduced S893 in the Senate.
Most truck drivers are paid by the mile and do not receive any extra compensation despite commonly working as much as 60 or 70 hours per week.
“Let’s be fair,” Van Drew said in 2023. “Truckers are breaking their backs. They sincerely are what makes America move. Our country would be in a whole lot of trouble if we didn’t have truckers working for us every single day. When people don’t work hard, that’s up to them, and maybe they don’t deserve to make a lot of money. But many truckers do, and they deserve to be treated fairly and make a decent income.”
The current lack of overtime pay often leads to truck drivers having to spend an excessive number of hours waiting at shipping and receiving facilities. If truck drivers were compensated for that time, OOIDA said, shippers and receivers would be encouraged to decrease this waiting time. Additionally, the Association contends that paying overtime wages to truck drivers would improve safety.
The trucking safety groups agree. In addition to OOIDA, the GOT Truckers Act is supported by the Truck Safety Coalition, the Institute for Safer Trucking and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. LL
AUTHOR: MARK SCHREMMER
Truckers need overtime exemption removed to benefit from ‘Beautiful’ bill
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill has been passed and signed into law, but the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association believes the legislation excluded a critical provision that would benefit truck drivers.
The bill, which was signed into law on Friday, July 4, is touted by the White House as “the largest tax cut in history for middle- and working-class Americans.”Some of the benefits include no taxes on tips, overtime wages and social security benefits.
Of course, truck drivers won’t benefit from the no tax on overtime provision, as a longtime law exempts motor carriers from having to pay truckers time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours in a week.
That’s why OOIDA is asking Congress to take an additional step and pass the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act.
The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require that employee truck drivers receive overtime compensation when they exceed 40 hours in a work week.
“Eliminating taxes on overtime pay for blue-collar workers is a well-intentioned move,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Unfortunately, truckers won’t benefit from this key provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill due to their exclusion from overtime protections under the outdated Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It’s time for Congress to fix a nearly century-old oversight by passing the bipartisan GOT Truckers Act and ensure truckers are eligible for both overtime pay and the tax relief extended to other blue-collar workers.”
In March, Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., reintroduced the GOT Truckers Act (HR1962) in the House, and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., reintroduced S893 in the Senate.
Most truck drivers are paid by the mile and do not receive any extra compensation despite commonly working as much as 60 or 70 hours per week.
“Let’s be fair,” Van Drew said in 2023. “Truckers are breaking their backs. They sincerely are what makes America move. Our country would be in a whole lot of trouble if we didn’t have truckers working for us every single day. When people don’t work hard, that’s up to them, and maybe they don’t deserve to make a lot of money. But many truckers do, and they deserve to be treated fairly and make a decent income.”
The current lack of overtime pay often leads to truck drivers having to spend an excessive number of hours waiting at shipping and receiving facilities. If truck drivers were compensated for that time, OOIDA said, shippers and receivers would be encouraged to decrease this waiting time. Additionally, the Association contends that paying overtime wages to truck drivers would improve safety.
The trucking safety groups agree. In addition to OOIDA, the GOT Truckers Act is supported by the Truck Safety Coalition, the Institute for Safer Trucking and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. LL
AUTHOR: MARK SCHREMMER