ARLINGTON, VA – The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is applauding U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant for blocking the Obama administration’s new overtime rule.

The new rule “set an arbitrarily high salary threshold for employees covered by the ‘white collar’ exemption to the overtime requirements under federal law, said Chris Spear, ATA president and Chief Executive Officer.

“By doubling the threshold from its current level of $23,660 to $47,476 as of December 1, the rule would have forced millions of salaried professionals to be treated like hourly employees,” he said. “In the trucking industry, the rule change would have affected countless salaried dispatchers and other managers who need the flexibility to work as the need arises, in response to unpredictable operational demands. At the same time, it would have forced the carriers they work for to begin micromanaging their time.”

When the white collar exemption was established, Congress clearly wanted the exemption to be based on the employee’s duties rather than arbitrary salary levels, he said.