Unpaid wages, missed meal and rest breaks and unreimbursed expenses are the focus of a class action lawsuit filed by a group of truck drivers.  The truckers claim that they were not paid for time they worked inspecting and preparing their trucks prior to the official start of their shift, that they were forced to work through mandated meal and rest breaks and that they were not reimbursed for necessary, work-related expenses such as cell phones that they were required to have.

Source:  Contra Costa Times

Lexington, Kentucky overtime lawyer Robert Abell represents employees in claims and lawsuits seeking their unpaid wages and overtime pay.

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Ron Stauffer 11/21/2009 12:03 AM
TRUCKERS’ JUSTICE {is this possible?) THE TRUCKER’S WORK ENVIRONMENT • The HOS, when 1st published, in 1937, were safe and productive in-that, “the 8th day”, provided a day off for those who were “working docks” as-much or more than they were driving • There were no 18-wheelers then and these truckers were paid “by the hour” for ALL hours worked, driving and not driving inc. MOTEL TIME when truck, trailer and load was parked outside • In the ‘50s – Washington D.C. (WDC) responded to complaints, from all over America, re the customers of “the household goods moving companies) being quoted “one price” when purchasing “a move” of their furniture and, at the delivery end, being charged much more than the initial purchased price • WDC let a contract for America’s 1st Tariff Mileage Guide, to resolve this – Rand-McNally won this contract – it published its THE HOUSEHOLD MOVERS GUIDE – a point-to-point mileage guide (not address to address). Customers could no-longer be charged any higher rates than this tariff mileage guide calculated • Soon, trucking companies began to “charge their customers” – out of this “mileage guide. Soon – trucking companies began to “pay their drivers” by this tariff mileage guide (a city limits to city limits version) on a cents-per-mile version – no-longer paying their drivers OTHERWISE duly-earned hourly-wages (i.e. hourly work, necessary to-the-job, while not working) re: counting freight being loaded and/or unloaded; having to drive truck & trailer to shops for service and/or repairs; all stops necessary to load and/or unload; sliding tandems; fueling trucks; scaling loads; waiting time and on and on!!! • The Private Fleet, Package-Hauler and Specialty drivers ARE PAID “for all these hourly activities!!!” The some 3 million that work for the Long Haul Contract Carriers ARE NOT so-paid!!! This “loss of duly earned wages” runs from some $20,000.00 to more-than $30,000.00 per year, per driver!!! • Contractors “who bill” their brokers and companies (knowing that they are not going to paid these duly-earned wages, from them) can include them as “business losses” on their Federal / State tax returns. • The 100% to more than 200% TURNOVER RATE is illegal AS – this is a Federally-Regulated Work Environment, supposedly for SAFETY, WHILE “such a turnover rate” MAINTAINS an Unstable and consequently UNSAFE Work Environment (for the truckers)!!! • The National Trucker-Trainee Training System is ILLEGAL as “a few weeks” of such training CANNOT Properly Prepare “its Trainee Victims” to succeed in “the grinder” of this Work Environment!!! • MOST of “the victims”, caught in “the nets” of trucking company recruiting ARE NOT QUALIFIED for this Work Environment: mentally, emotionally, intellectually and on!! • The HOS are ILLEGAL as there are neither safe nor productive. The HOS are antithetical to a cents-per-mile system that does not “pay all the miles” that the trucker MUST DRIVE and does not “pay the duly-earned” hourly wages (working for the company when not driving – except when the trucker is actually performing loading and/or unloading duties WHILE there is NO National Code that this activity is fairly paid – across the board!!! • This ILLEGAL Work Environment generates America’s 2nd Leading Holocaust: behind Abortion-on-Demand and ahead of “our soldiers” being-forced to wage un-JUST wars!!! There are 1000s of otherwise-innocent people (esp. children) who are otherwise unnecessarily killed, by this ILLEGAL Work Environment – every year WHILE 10s of 1000s are otherwise unnecessarily injured (in the most horrible ways imaginable) plus the 10s of 1000s of co-victims who are suffering all-across America!!! • The 8th Day of The HOS is Illegal, in Canada because Canada WILL NOT ALLOW “the sleep deprivation” that the 8th Day so-generates!!! • The HOS allows for these trucking companies “to force” their drivers to “be driving” following a 10-Hour Break Period WHEN Biologically – no practical sleep was possible CONSEQUENTLY – it is LEGAL, for The Regulated Trucker, to being driving while Falling Asleep, at the wheel!!! • Such Regulation re: trains, planes and ships is, more than 500% more-safe than WDC’s 18-Wheeler Regulation!!! • This is America’s MOST ILLEGAL and UNSAFE Work Environment but for one reason: an continually escalating “trucking company greed” for more and more profits, at any costs in-conjunction with Federal DOT and DOL Corruption!!! NOW – those of you who have Proper Understanding have opportunity to bring Proper Change – there is an on-going Legal Investigation by a Houston Law Firm – please call (the 1st time after business hours – to leave your initial message on their answering machine) 713-877-8111 (you will get a call back) – the “innocent blood” of America’s kids (being routinely killed, by this Illegal Work Environment) is screaming for JUSTICE!!!
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