Senate committee clears bill to list noncompensable duties for motor‑carrier drivers

House Bill 1227 moved forward in the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee after backers said the measure narrowly clarifies which activities by motor‑carrier drivers are not compensable under Arkansas wage‑and‑hour law.

Senator Eads introduced the bill and invited Tyler Majors, vice president of human resources at Pam Transport in Tonneton, Arkansas, to testify. The sponsor told the committee the legislation was requested by members of the Arkansas Trucking Association and is intended to “narrowly define a scenario that impacts a broad range in the industry” and to align state statute with guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Arkansas Department of Labor.

The sponsor said the bill adds seven lines to the relevant section of statute to list particular activities that would not be compensable, and emphasized that usual on‑duty tasks — driving, fueling, loading and unloading — remain compensable. “Most of them obviously are paid by the mile, which would have no impact,” the sponsor said, adding the change is aimed at preventing certain off‑duty or personal activities from being later counted in wage‑and‑hour disputes.

Tyler Majors appeared at the table and spoke in support of the bill; there were no public opponents on the record. The committee moved to give the bill a do‑pass recommendation and advanced it by voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll‑call tally.

The committee did not take additional public testimony on the item and proceeded to the next agenda matter.