Trucking news and briefs for Monday, March 10, 2025:
Congress to take up trucker overtime pay legislation
Members of Congress last week reintroduced the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers (GOT Truckers) Act, which would remove the trucking industry's exemption from overtime pay requirements from the Fair Labor Standards Act, established in 1938.
The bicameral, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress in the two previous Congressional sessions but saw no movement in either attempt.
The House version of the bill was introduced by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey) and Mark Takano (D-California). The Senate version was brought forth by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts).
The legislation is supported by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Truck Safety Coalition, and the Institute for Safer Trucking.
[Related: How the government stole $4.8 trillion from truck drivers]
Bills to address predatory towing considered in Missouri
Two new bills introduced in Missouri seek to combat the rising problem of predatory towing, with trucking groups testifying last week about how predatory towing hurts truck drivers.
Missouri's House Transportation Committee held a hearing March 4 on HB745, which aims to address longstanding issues with predatory towing practices. A companion bill, SB516, is also in the state's Senate.
The bills, introduced by Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla) and Rep. Dave Griffith (R-Jefferson City), propose reforms and grant the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) the authority to regulate non-consensual towing procedures for commercial vehicles.
Non-consensual tows are most often police-initiated tows after an accident on the highway and do not cover booting or towing from private property.
The bills include steps to establish a seven-member "Towing and Recovery Review Board," with a motor carrier representative, an owner-operator representative and more on the board.
The bills would also create a complaint filing and adjudication process, regulate the release of vehicles in fee disputes, and end per-pound charges for nonconsensual tows. These steps have been adopted by other states, like Maryland, with some praise from the trucking industry.
The bill would also allow truck drivers to request specific towing companies and make law enforcement honor those requests when possible, as well as booting towing companies off the police roster if they violate the law.
Representatives from the Missouri Trucking Association, American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association were among those who testified in support of the legislation.
[Related: New Mississippi law cracks down on predatory towing]
CVSA opens nominations for annual driver award
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is now accepting nominations for its International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA), an annual award that recognizes an extraordinary professional truck driver and their commitment to public safety.
Nominees for the award will be individuals who have gone above and beyond the performance of their duties as a commercial motor vehicle driver, distinguishing themselves conspicuously and beyond the call of duty through the achievement of safe operation and compliance carried out with evident distinction for an extended period of time, CVSA said.
The nominated individual must also “be of personal character beyond reproach with no disqualifying past behavior as indicated in the award criteria,” the organization added.
Nominees must have:
- At least 25 cumulative years of crash-free driving in a commercial motor vehicle with a clean driving record for the past three years
- No felony convictions
- No safety-related driving suspensions in the past three years
- No driver violations in the past three years, excluding form and manner violations
IDEA is open to the entire commercial motor vehicle industry. Nominees do not need to be a member of CVSA to apply.
The 2025 IDEA recipient and a guest will receive a complimentary economy flight to Denver International Airport and a one-room, two-night stay at Sheraton Denver Downtown to attend the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Denver, Colorado. The IDEA winner will be recognized at the annual conference awards ceremony on Sept. 24, where they will receive $5,000 and a crystal trophy.
CVSA’s online nomination form allows individuals to easily fill out the application and submit the required supporting documentation. The deadline for nominations is Friday, May 9.
The IDEA Program Committee will review and authenticate IDEA nominations and recommend the selected IDEA recipient to the CVSA Executive Committee.
[Related: CVSA crowns annual IDEA winner]
Accuride emerges from bankruptcy
Accuride has completed its restructuring process and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Accuride's restructuring process equitizes over $400 million of funded debt and restructures ~$170 million of additional obligations. Accuride also receives significant new investment from its existing investors in the form of a $70 million asset-based lending facility and an $95-plus million exit facility, both of which are designed to bolster the company's liquidity and support long-term growth. With the restructuring completed, the company's lenders, including KKR, Caspian, and accounts managed by Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC and its affiliates, have become Accuride's new owners.
Robin Kendrick will retire as Accuride's President & CEO, effective immediately. Kendrick will continue his affiliation with the company as a Director on the newly reconstituted Accuride Board, which has initiated a thorough search process to identify a permanent CEO with the support of a leading executive search firm. Geoff Bruce, formerly the President of Accuride's Wheels North America division, has been appointed Interim CEO of Accuride.
"Accuride has successfully established a robust capital structure with access to significant liquidity, which together well position the Company for long-term growth," said Bruce. "Accuride wheels are a critical part of an important industry, and we are poised to deliver on our strong market position, innovation engine and value proposition for our customers in North America with the support of an exceptional team and strong relationships with long-time stakeholders."
