A recently introduced Senate bill promises to eliminate federal taxes on overtime wages, but truck drivers have been left out of the equation—once again spotlighting longstanding wage concerns in the industry.
In March 2025, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the No Tax on Overtime Act, a bill meant to deliver financial relief to blue-collar workers by removing federal income tax on overtime earnings. The bill reflects former President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to “put American workers first.” While the proposal has been welcomed by many labor groups, it fails to provide any real benefit to commercial truck drivers—one of the country’s most essential yet often overlooked workforces.
The reason? Most truck drivers are currently ineligible for overtime pay due to an exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, which excludes many transportation workers from federal overtime protections. As a result, eliminating taxes on overtime wages does nothing for truck drivers who aren’t legally entitled to overtime in the first place.
In response, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is urging lawmakers to address this gap by supporting the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers (GOT) Act, formally known as H.R. 1962. Reintroduced on March 6 by Representatives Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), the bipartisan bill seeks to amend the FLSA to guarantee that employee truck drivers receive overtime compensation when working more than 40 hours per week.
OOIDA President Todd Spencer emphasized the importance of this reform, stating, “America’s truckers are the backbone of our economy… yet despite their essential role, trucking remains one of the few professions in America denied guaranteed overtime pay.” Spencer criticized the industry’s wage structure, which he says undervalues drivers’ time and encourages unsustainable workloads.
In addition to OOIDA, the GOT Truckers Act has garnered support from several labor and safety groups, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Truck Safety Coalition, and the Institute for Safer Trucking.
If passed, the GOT Truckers Act would not only mandate overtime compensation for employee drivers but also open the door for those earnings to be tax-free under Hawley’s proposed legislation—finally delivering a much-needed wage boost to truckers.
While the No Tax on Overtime Act positions itself as a win for working-class Americans, advocates argue that it will only fulfill that promise if paired with legislation like the GOT Truckers Act. Until truck drivers are eligible for overtime pay, they remain excluded from the very relief intended to reward their hard work.
The trucking industry will be watching closely as both bills progress, hoping that policymakers recognize the need for comprehensive reform that includes those who keep the nation’s supply chain moving.
Source:
https://landline.media/truckers-left-out-of-no-tax-on-overtime-bill/
Hourly wage earning truck drivers deserve overtime and the benefits of no tax on overtime. A lot of companies take advantage of truck drivers and not paying overtime to pad there bottom line. Truck drivers are under valued & under paid
Even if you got the break. Its only on the half part of the time and a half. lol so if you make $40 an hour and work an hour ot at $60 an hour only that last $20 is eligible. lol Tricks of politicians!
as a truck driver for 29 years its sad to see us get shafted again for doing the job nobody appreciates
Bill has passed
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1962/all-info