The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is again pressuring Congress to overturn a provision in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 that exempts motor carriers from paying overtime to truck drivers. Despite OOIDA’s efforts, the recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump excluded changes to the FLSA, leaving truckers excluded from receiving the new tax relief that applies to overtime pay for other blue-collar workers. OOIDA supports the bipartisan Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers (GOT) Act, reintroduced in 2025 by Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA) and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), and Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA). The Act seeks to ensure truck drivers receive overtime pay for hours exceeding 40 per week, addressing issues like delays due to traffic, weather or loading docks. Safety concerns are central to the push, with a 2018 DOT report indicating that just 15 extra minutes of detention time raises crash risks by 6.2%. The Truck Safety Coalition and a 2022 DOT Supply Chain Report echo calls to end the exemption to improve driver compensation and safety. However, the American Trucking Associations opposes the change, arguing it would lower drivers’ pay and destabilize the industry’s pay structure and jobs.
