OOIDA on the Road – July 2022
Three things epitomize the summer so far for Marty Ellis, driver of OOIDA’s tour trailer.
Top of the list are the vintage show trucks he has seen, not only at the American Truck Historical Society National Convention in Springfield, Ill., but also at shows in Iowa, Missouri and Ohio.
The other two things have been topics of discussion by drivers around the trailer: the threat of mandated speed limiters and all the unpaid work expected of drivers.
The speed limiter mandate reared its head in May, and in short time thousands of truck drivers weighed in. Few were in support of the mandate. Nearly all pointed out the dangers. Not only would it encourage passenger vehicles to try to zip dangerously around slower-moving trucks, but the truck drivers would be less able to deal with them or other highway dangers.
With driver pay, finally, it seems someone is paying attention. Not only has Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned it repeatedly, but the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act has been gaining co-sponsors. The bill would correct the overtime exemption for truck drivers in the Fair Labor Standards Act that has been in effect since 1938.
“Companies really don’t want to pay because they haven’t,” Ellis said. “‘We’ve done it this way all the time,’ they say. Well, at some point in time we as an industry really have to take a look and make some changes to make that right.”
Because drivers should be paid to sweep out a trailer, or load pallets, or to sit at a dock, “because even if you can record it in the bunk, you’re still there waiting, ready to go, but you’re not making any money,” Ellis said. “It doesn’t do your family any good.”
Drivers of any viewpoint are welcome to stop by the OOIDA tour trailer and discuss issues. Let your Association know what you’ve been seeing on the road. LL