Overdrive

July 2018 | Overdrive | 15 If legal precedent is any indi- cation, J.B. Hunt could become the next carrier to be hit with a major payout to drivers because of a 2014 federal court decision. The U.S. Supreme Court on June 8 said it will not hear Hunt's challenge to a lawsuit brought by drivers against the company. That means the Ortega v. J.B. Hunt case, filed in 2007, is set to go to trial this year. The class-action litigation seeks back pay for drivers who were not awarded paid breaks by the Lowell, Arkansas-based carrier. At issue in the suit are California laws that require employers to provide paid rest breaks to drivers and allow them to take meal breaks. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2014 ruled in a decision in- volving Penske Logistics and its drivers that carriers, even those operating interstate, must pro- vide drivers the California-re- quired breaks. The decision has created a wave of lawsuits from drivers against carriers operat- ing in California. Moves in Congress have sought to mitigate the effects of the 2014 Penske decision by attempting to pass a provi- sion that reasserts the federal government's role in managing drivers' work schedules. The Denham Amendment, which would exempt carriers from California's break laws, has been introduced in various forms but has not been able to clear congressional hurdles. – Overdrive Staff Drivers' lawsuit against J.B. Hunt will proceed 2/3 vt 1 6/11/18 1:49 PM

• Cover
• Good prep defuses Roadcheck worries.
• Pulse: Technology opens door for truck mayhem.
• Personal conveyance and “truck stop lawyers.”
• Bullying customer may be shipper of last resort.
• Traversing Georgia’s 190-mile parking desert.
• Freightliner debuts two electric trucks.
• Congress debates livestock/ag hours regulations.
• Bill would repeal excise tax on truck purchases.
• Payments may loom from fradulent services case.
• Brake inspection blitz set for September.
• Coverage from the 36th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs.
• Hot pink 379 stays in the family.
• Reader Rigs: Heavy-hauling ’06 W900L; chromed-out 2000 379; ’16 Coronado glider carves its own path;’16 389 has Georgia power; Canadian reefer-hauling ’06 W900.
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Dashcams.
• GEAR GUIDE Window deflector, tires, tape, more.
• FLEET NEWS Carriers still hiking driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH Knowing risk factors for diabetes.
• TURNING POINT Overdrive’s Dashcam Central shows a trucker’s questionable right turn on red.
• Business: Company driver pay swelling in 2018 Company driver pay per mile surged in the first quarter of 2018 from a year ago, with the refrigerated sector leading the way, according to a survey of mid-size to large carriers.
• COVER STORY: Guaranteed pay Fleets are increasingly introducing plans that promise company drivers a minimum weekly pay. Find out what’s driving the trend and what it could mean for owner-operators.
• Guarding personal data Because of their constant traveling, truckers can be particularly vulnerable to financial loss and a trashed credit rating from identity theft. The resulting legal complications also can threaten their livelihood.
• Talent finalists headed for Dallas James Nelson, Mandi Jo Pinheiro and B.J. Williams will compete next month at The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, where the drivers have been invited to participate in the Overdrive-Red Eye Radio Trucker Talent S
• Mix business, pleasure at GATS A new tailored driver recruitment matchup at the Great American Trucking Show joins established highlights such as Pride & Polish show trucks, live music, business seminars and health screenings.