Published: June 2019

Opposition to commercial driver labor standards puts California workers and drivers at risk

Advocates oppose the American Bus Association’s petition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to preempt California’s longstanding meal and rest break laws as applied to passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles.

The California meal and rest law, enacted almost two decades ago, was specifically designed to reduce worker fatigue and to protect workers and the general public from workplace accidents, injuries, and deaths. If approved, the American Bus Association’s petition would eliminate an important employment protection for one class of workers and would preempt California law which provides truck and bus drivers with a 10-minute rest break after four hours of driving and a 30-minute meal break after five hours.

Lead Organization

Center for Justice and Democracy

Other Organizations

Alliance for Justice | California Employment Lawyers Association | Center for Justice & Democracy | Consumer Action | Consumer Attorneys of California | Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety | CRLA Foundation | Earthjustice | Essential Information | Impact Fund | Legal Aid at Work | NAACP | National Association of Consumer Advocates | National Consumers League | National Employment Lawyers Association | Public Citizen | Public Justice | Public Justice Center | RootsAction.org | SMART - Transportation Division | Texas Watch | Transport Workers Union | Working Partnerships USA

More Information

For more information, please visit Center for Justice and Democracy's website. 

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Opposition to commercial driver labor standards puts California workers and drivers at risk   (BusPreemptionLetterF.pdf)