Shippers ready to fight driver overtime pay bill in Congress

Truck with depiction of cash following on the road.

Legislation aimed at ensuring overtime pay for truckers is getting close scrutiny from a major shipper group that plans to fight hard against it if the bill starts to gain steam.

The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, introduced in April by Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., would repeal the motor carrier exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), an exemption that excludes many drivers from overtime pay protections.

“Truck drivers across the country face brutal working conditions marked by...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-ready-to-fight-driver-overtime-pay-bill-in-congress

DOT vulnerability report highlights truck driver pay, urges ocean shipping reform

Requiring employers to pay truck drivers overtime and supporting legislation boosting shippers’ leverage against ocean carriers are among 62 policy recommendations in a sweeping 140-page supply chain vulnerability report the Biden administration unveiled on Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Supply Chain Assessment of the Transportation Industrial Base: Freight and Logistics,” culminates a yearlong assessment of the U.S. freight transportation system, as required by an executive...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-vulnerability-report-highlights-truck-driver-pay-urges-ocean-shipping-reform

Buttigieg prioritizing truck driver pay

If anything positive has come out of the supply chain crisis, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants truckers to know it is a renewed appreciation for them — and that they should be compensated accordingly.

“Industry estimates that there’s a gap of about 80,000 truck drivers right now relative to what we need,” Buttigieg said in a keynote address Wednesday at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) annual meeting in Washington, citing data from the American Trucking Associations.

“But...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/buttigieg-prioritizing-truck-driver-pay

White House laying foundation for ‘next-generation trucking workforce’

The White House unveiled on Thursday a sweeping initiative aimed at shoring up the ranks of the nation’s truck drivers that could potentially lead to boosting driver pay.

The Biden-Harris Administration Trucking Action Plan, to be led by the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Labor, is being launched in the wake of trucking industry challenges exacerbated by the pandemic that include high driver turnover rates, an aging workforce, long hours away from home, and time spent waiting to load and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/white-house-laying-foundation-for-next-generation-trucking-workforce

Looking back at the Year of the Truck Driver

There is little question that 30 years from now, when schoolchildren learn the history of 2020, the COVID-pandemic will be discussed. History books will record how doctors, nurses, teachers, retail workers and other essential workers played a critical role in caring for and supplying those in need.

Add truck drivers and transportation workers to that list as well. For those in the industry, this has never been in dispute, but in 2020, the general public finally recognized the importance of the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/what-fleets-learned-about-their-drivers-in-2020

The Daily Dash: Republic cancels Nikola truck order; Forward Air recovering

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, embattled hydrogen-electric truck maker Nikola Corp. took a big hit on Wednesday when Republic Services canceled an order for 2,500 refuse trucks. Plus, Forward Air is on the road to recovery following a ransomware attack and Roehl is the latest carrier to announce a driver pay increase.

Republic says goodbye

Republic Services (NYSE: RSG), which had ordered 2,500 battery-electric refuse trucks from...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-republic-cancels-nikola-truck-order-forward-air-recovering

The Daily Dash: A 25% driver pay increase; dumping the Tesla Semi

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, C.R. England became the latest carrier to announce a large pay increase for its drivers. Plus, analysts debate the value of the Tesla Semi program and industry groups push for transportation workers to be among those with early access to a COVID vaccine.

Driver pay increases keep coming

Citing a multimillion dollar investment in its driver workforce, C.R. England announced that it has provided its...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-a-25-driver-pay-increase-dumping-the-tesla-semi

NY ports tout $250,000/year driver pay in supporting under-21 CDLs

Truck drivers between the ages of 18 and 21 could be given the keys to a lucrative blue-collar career hauling ocean containers to and from terminals operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) if regulators lift commercial driver license (CDL) restrictions, according to the agency.

In comments filed this week with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in support of a pilot program allowing under-21 drivers to get an interstate CDL, PANYNJ Deputy Port...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ny-ports-tout-250000year-driver-pay-in-supporting-under-21-cdls

FMCSA adds driver panel to safety board

A group of 20-25 truck drivers will be providing direct feedback to federal regulators on safety issues ranging from hours of service (HOS) to truck parking.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced Friday that the new commercial driver panel subcommittee has been set up to inform the agency’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) with the goal of gaining a range of viewpoints and experiences among different sectors of the driver community, including drivers of...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmcsa-adds-driver-subcommittee-to-safety-board

Join Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of shipping news.
icon