WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s long-championed One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed the House on Thursday and now awaits the president’s signature.
Trump is expected to sign the legislation at 5 p.m. local time on Friday.
The final vote was 218-214, with two Republicans joining all Democrats opposing. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act comprises 800+ pages with several subjects related to the trucking industry.
American Trucking Associations
The ATA commended the U.S. House of Representatives for voting to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and sending it to the president’s desk. The legislation will support the trucking industry by providing long-term tax certainty and more flexible resources for workforce development, ensuring that our nation’s supply chains can keep America’s economy moving, according to the ATA.
“The American Trucking Associations thanks Republicans in Congress and President Trump for moving this comprehensive tax reform package across the finish line,” said Chris Spear, ATA president, CEO. “Today’s vote provides much-needed certainty for the trucking industry—the backbone of our economy—to grow and thrive. By passing this bill, Congress averted the largest tax increase in our nation’s history. Neither the economy nor our supply chain would have survived such a travesty. This is our money, not the government’s, and truckers know better than anyone how to reinvest it to promote prosperity. Motor carriers, the overwhelming majority of which are small businesses that operate ten trucks or fewer, will now have the ability to plan for the future, continue to provide good-paying jobs, and upgrade equipment. We commend congressional leaders for recognizing this fact and crafting this tax relief package that supports the 8.5 million Americans who work throughout trucking. We look forward to celebrating President Trump fulfilling another promise to our industry when he signs it into law.”
Not all are happy with some of the provisions in the legislation.
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
“Eliminating taxes on overtime pay for blue collar workers is a well-intentioned move,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president. “Unfortunately, truckers won’t benefit from this key provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill due to their exclusion from overtime protections under the outdated Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It’s time for Congress to fix a nearly century-old oversight by passing the bipartisan GOT Truckers Act and ensure truckers are eligible for both overtime pay and the tax relief extended to other blue collar workers.”
No Overtime for Truckers
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) denies truck drivers guaranteed overtime pay. Unlike nearly all other blue-collar employees, this exemption means truckers aren’t guaranteed time-and-a-half if they work more than 40 hours a week because of traffic, bad weather or delays at loading docks.
According to OOIDA, since many truckers are often only paid for the miles they drive, they don’t get fair pay for all the hours they work. The FLSA exemption only serves to devalue a truckers’ time.
“Drivers are constantly leaving the industry to pursue other opportunities and less experienced, and statistically less safe, drivers are needed to take their place,” OOIDA said. “Our roads are more dangerous because truckers aren’t guaranteed overtime. The system allows shippers and receivers to excessively detain truckers at loading docks. The delays truckers face when waiting to be loaded or unloaded is proven to increase safety risks. If a truck spends just 15 minutes more than usual at a facility, it increases accident rate by 6.2%. This results in over 6,500 more crashes per year.
A Solution for Truck Overtime
According to OOIDA, the bipartisan GOT Truckers Act (H.R. 1962/ S. 893) removes this rule that prevents truckers from getting overtime pay.
“The bill simply levels the playing field for truckers and nearly every other blue collar worker in America and makes our roads safer,” OOIDA said.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
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