Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Nov. 25, 2024:
Trump picks pro-union former Congresswoman to lead DOL
Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Chavez-DeRemer served one term in Congress, winning the seat in 2022 before losing her reelection bid this year.
In announcing Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination on Truth Social, Trump said she “has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America.”
Trump added that he looks forward to working with Chavez-DeRemer “to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs.”
Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination received support from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien on X (formerly Twitter) congratulated her on the nomination and thanked Trump “for putting American workers first” with her nomination.
Notably for trucking companies and owner-operators, during her brief time in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer was one of three Republican co-sponsors on the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2023. This legislation, among other things, would essentially nationalize California’s AB 5 law and its ABC test for determining employee/independent contractor status. The PRO Act would codify the ABC test into the National Labor Relations Act for determining worker status for the purposes of seeking to unionize.
While the PRO Act was intended to address classification for the purposes of labor organizing, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer raised concerns over the legislation last year, noting he believed that in practice, “employers would likely use this test to classify their workers under all laws.”
[Related: OOIDA cautions Senate against PRO Act legislation]
Chavez-DeRemer did not sign on as a co-sponsor to legislation in 2023, the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, that would have removed the Fair Labor Standards Act provision exempting truckers from overtime pay requirements.
Julie Su, the Deputy Director of DOL under Biden, has led the department in an "acting" capacity since March of 2023. Since then, she's been twice denied confirmation as DOL administrator by the Senate, largely over her support of California's AB 5 rule, though she says she doesn't support the rule going national.
The Department of Labor under President Joe Biden rescinded and replaced a Trump-era independent contractor classification rule that set forth new guidance on determining employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some in trucking believe a Trump administration may push to have his contractor classification guidance reinstated.
[Related: Trump's potential impact on independent contractor rules, EPA and CARB]
CVSA announces dates for 2025 Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has set the dates for next year’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative (HTAI) for each of its three member countries. In the U.S., the initiative is scheduled for Jan. 13-17, 2025. Canada’s HTAI dates are Feb. 17-21, 2025. And in Mexico, HTAI is set for March 17-21, 2025.
CVSA’s annual five-day human trafficking awareness, outreach, identification and prevention initiative educates commercial motor vehicle drivers, motor carriers, law enforcement officers and the general public about the crime of human trafficking, the signs to look for and what to do if you suspect someone is being trafficked.
In preparation for the initiative, CVSA is offering human trafficking awareness resources to its membership and working with TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking) to distribute wallet cards, posters and window decals.
During the five-day awareness initiative in each country, CVSA jurisdictions will conduct human trafficking awareness and outreach efforts and report those projects to the Alliance. The results will be released in summer 2025.
HTAI is part of CVSA’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program, which seeks to reduce human trafficking throughout North America through coordinated enforcement and investigative and educational awareness measures within the commercial motor vehicle industry.
[Related: Truckers' anti-trafficking efforts as eyes, ears making a difference, leading to major arrests]
New TA Express opens in Houston
TravelCenters of America has opened a new TA Express in Houston, offering 75 truck parking spaces, among other amenities.
The location marks TA’s 34th travel center in Texas. TA Express Houston is located at 4808 N. McCarty St., Houston, TX 77013 (Interstate 610 at mile marker 24).
In addition to truck parking, the location also features a Miss J’s Café with freshly prepared deli to-go food options, eight diesel fueling lanes, eight private showers and more.
