What’s the worst part about getting paid per mile? Any trucker would tell you, it’s the time you spend on the job stuck at a shipper or receiver’s facility, on the clock but not getting paid.
As part of the Grow America Act, the Department of Transportation is looking to mandate carriers to pay drivers an hourly rate, set at least at the minimum wage amount, for time spent working but not driving.
The act references that drivers are “frequently detained for extended periods at shippers or receivers’ facilities,” and believes compensating drivers for this time will increase road safety by reducing the occurrences of drivers exceeding the mandatory limits because of economic pressures. OOIDA President and CEO Jim Johnston supports the proposal and says:
“Congress should follow through with the Administration’s recognition of the connection between highway safety and driver pay by making sure that all truck drivers are compensated for all of their on-duty time,”
Similar bills, however, have been proposed and shut down in the past. Most recently, a bill that would have set an industry wide limit on the maximum time a driver could be detained by a shipper or receiver before receiving compensation. It had 12 supporters, 11 of which were democrats, but never saw the light of day.
FMCSA’s administrator Anne Ferro also supports the Dream America act, and has recently said:
“The logistics industry gets this time free on the backs of the drivers and small businesses. Uncompensated detention time needs your attention, because what makes the job better, often makes the job safer.”
What do you think about this proposal? In an industry that’s often viewed as damaged by excessive regulations, this is one that is expected to receive vast support from drivers. Maybe someday in the future, detention time won’t be called detention — it’ll just be work.
