A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Oregon's U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, is pushing the "Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act." This bill aims to remove an outdated provision that has kept truck drivers from receiving overtime pay. Senator Wyden said, "I’ve heard throughout my nearly 1100 town halls how rural areas especially need career opportunities for young Oregonians and veterans," according to the Office of the Senator.
A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, following an Executive Order by former President Biden, identified turnover and pay issues within the trucking industry. The report recommended that Congress repeal the exclusion that has kept truck drivers from overtime protections. The proposed legislation has support from groups like the Teamsters and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which could significantly impact truck drivers, who play a crucial role in the U.S. economy, as reported by the Office of the Senator.
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Edward J. Markey, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren, along with U.S. Representatives Mark Takano and Jeff Van Drew, have introduced the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act. This bill aims to change the motor carrier provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which has excluded truck drivers from receiving overtime pay. Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said, "The exclusion of truck drivers from federal overtime protections must come to an end." He also added, "The Teamsters Union is proud to support the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, which will right the decades long wrong that serves only to harm drivers to the benefit of their employers," as stated by the Office of the Senator.
