A representative for the California Trucking Association responded with concern to a court ruling that will require trucking companies in the state to give truck drivers a 30-minute meal period within the first five hours of driving.
Michael Shaw, CTA Vice President, External Affairs, told TruckingInfo.com that the ruling by the California Supreme Court will “strait-jacket truckers and jeopardize highway safety by requiring (drivers) to pull off the road to take off-duty 30-minute meal breaks at rigid times set by the meal and rest break rules, regardless of traffic and other road conditions.”
Shaw’s comments followed a state Supreme Court ruling in the case of Brinker vs. Superior Court. In that case, the court ruled that employers must make meal breaks available to drivers, but drivers are not penalized for choosing to drive through a break. The decision covers all non-exempt employees who perform work in California.
“Trucking companies already know the value of ensuring drivers are properly rested and allowed time to eat,” Shaw told TruckingInfo. “The California rules at issue in the Brinker case only make highway safety harder to achieve.”
TRUCK ACCIDENT FAST FACT: According to TruckInfo.net, California ranks No. 1 among states for truck accidents. Texas, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania round out the top five.
