Senate Bill Giving Truckers Overtime Pay Introduced

A bill ensuring overtime compensation for truckers was introduced in the Senate on Sept. 12. 

The “Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act” (S. 483) would repeal the motor carrier provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which exempts truck drivers from earning overtime pay. It’s a companion bill to a House measure by the same name introduced in mid-April, congressional records show. 

The Senate proposal comes on the heels of the Transportation Department issuing an assessment highlighting high turnover rates and compensation issues in the trucking industry, which led the department to call for FLSA’s repeal. 

Introduced by Sens. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the bill is supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, OOIDA, the Truck Safety Coalition, the Institute for Safer Trucking, Parents Against Tired Truckers and CRASH. 

“There is a simple way to recruit and retain drivers: increase their pay,” Markey stated in a release. “The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act does exactly that by eliminating the overtime exemption.” 

The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). A similar bill was introduced in the House in April. 

The proposed legislation was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee for consideration, congressional records show.