United States v. American Trucking Associations
Encyclopedia
United States v. American Trucking Associations, 310 U.S. 534
(1940), was a landmark United States Supreme Court
case which marked a shift from evaluating the "plain meaning" of statute
s to a judicial effort to determine "legislative intent."
American Trucking Associations
had sought to compel the Interstate Commerce Commission
(ICC) to regulate all employees of trucking industries, rather than simply those whose job has an impact on safety. The Fair Labor Standards Act
(FLSA) included an exemption to employees regulated by the ICC under the Motor Carrier Act
of 1935. By compelling the ICC to recognize all trucking employees as within its power to regulate, such employees would be exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA.
The court decided that ICC's interpretation of the statute, which limited its power only to those employees who have an impact on safety, was correct.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1940), was a landmark United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case which marked a shift from evaluating the "plain meaning" of statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
s to a judicial effort to determine "legislative intent."
American Trucking Associations
American Trucking Associations
The American Trucking Associations , founded in 1933, is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of other trucking groups, industry-related conferences, and its 50 affiliated state trucking associations, ATA represents more than 37,000 members covering...
had sought to compel the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
(ICC) to regulate all employees of trucking industries, rather than simply those whose job has an impact on safety. The Fair Labor Standards Act
Fair Labor Standards Act
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is a federal statute of the United States. The FLSA established a national minimum wage, guaranteed 'time-and-a-half' for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor," a term that is defined in the statute...
(FLSA) included an exemption to employees regulated by the ICC under the Motor Carrier Act
Motor Carrier Act
Motor Carrier Act may refer to:* Motor Carrier Act of 1935, an amendment to the Interstate Commerce Act that regulated bus lines and airlines as public utilities* Motor Carrier Act of 1980, a law that deregulated the trucking industry...
of 1935. By compelling the ICC to recognize all trucking employees as within its power to regulate, such employees would be exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA.
The court decided that ICC's interpretation of the statute, which limited its power only to those employees who have an impact on safety, was correct.