The opinions of small-business truckers were well represented during a recent panel discussion on regulatory compliance.
The panel discussion was one of many sessions at the Women in Trucking Association’s annual Accelerate! Conference and Expo. This year’s event was held Nov. 9-12 in Dallas.
Titled “Compliance Under Pressure: Mastering Today’s Complicated Regulatory Landscape,” the panel included:
- Anne Reinke, President, Intermodal Association of North America
- Tom Moore, Executive Vice President, National Private Truck Council
- Dora McCann, Director of Government Relations, Transportation Intermediaries Association
- Sue Lawless, Former FMCSA acting deputy administrator. Lawless is now a partner with transportation law firm Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary.
Representing the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association on the panel was Norita Taylor, who works in membership and public relations. Taylor said she was able to share the Association’s stance on a number of regulatory issues, including English language proficiency, non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses, CDL training, restroom access and the truck parking shortage.
“I think conference attendees and the other panelists were eager to hear input from our association and learn more from the owner-operator perspective,” Taylor said. “I look forward to continuing to communicate with them and learning more in return.”
Taylor said she was also able to clarify the Association’s stance on the driver shortage myth – that it is a retention and turnover issue rather than a lack of qualified drivers.
That sentiment was recently echoed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, as the DOT looks to crack down on non-domiciled CDLs and English proficiency.
“I do not buy the idea that there are not enough American truck drivers,” Duffy said.
In addition, Taylor advised those on the panel to support the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act. Reintroduced in the House and Senate in March, the bill seeks to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to remove the motor carrier overtime exemption.
Current regulations do not require companies to pay drivers by the hour. The bill would mandate that truckers receive overtime compensation – 150% of their regular rate of pay – for all hours beyond the standard 40-hour workweek.
OOIDA supports the GOT Truckers Act and launched a campaign on its Fighting For Truckers website. Truckers can use the site to contact their lawmakers and urge them to support the legislation.
The Women in Trucking Association’s next Accelerate! Conference is scheduled for Oct. 25-28, 2026, in Dallas. LL
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