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Trucking & Transportation Companies: Managing Part-Time Worker Payroll (2026)
Part-time payroll in trucking companies carries the same withholding and overtime rules as full-time, and part-time hours count toward the ACA employer mandate at 120 hours a month per full-time equivalent. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
Rules that matter for part-time trucking company staff
Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce.
The small vehicle exception restores FLSA overtime in any workweek in which the employee performs work on motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, except vehicles designed to carry more than 8 passengers for compensation, more than 15 passengers, or placarded hazardous materials.
The arithmetic
Overtime is owed after 40 hours in the workweek regardless of part-time status, and a part-time employee who picks up shifts across two roles has their regular rate blended across both. For the ACA, monthly hours of all non-full-time employees are pooled and divided by 120 to produce full-time equivalents; 60 part-time employees at 60 hours a month are 30 FTEs. For FMLA, a part-time employee counts as one employee toward the 50 threshold and is eligible personally only after 1,250 hours in the prior 12 months. At the BLS May 2025 national median for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, $58,640 a year or about $28 an hour, a 20-hour week is $564 before tax.
The rules behind this page, with sources
General information, not legal advice. Every rule below was read on the agency page linked next to it.
- Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce. [DOL Fact Sheet #19]
- The small vehicle exception restores FLSA overtime in any workweek in which the employee performs work on motor vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, except vehicles designed to carry more than 8 passengers for compensation, more than 15 passengers, or placarded hazardous materials. [DOL Fact Sheet #19]
Read the full guide to ACA reporting and the employer mandate, and the rest of the trucking company payroll library.
Managed Payroll, Handled.
BEG manages payroll at $45 per employee per month, all-inclusive. Get an instant cost comparison for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do part-time OTR drivers at a trucking company count toward the ACA 50-employee test?
Yes, as full-time equivalents: their monthly hours are pooled and divided by 120. That is why the count is run from payroll hours every year rather than from headcount.
Is overtime owed to a part-time trucking company employee?
Yes, after 40 hours in a workweek, at time and one half on the regular rate. Part-time status changes benefits eligibility, not the overtime rule. Section 13(b)(1) of the FLSA provides an overtime exemption for employees of motor carriers and motor private carriers who work as drivers, driver's helpers, loaders or mechanics and whose duties affect the safety of operation of motor vehicles in interstate or foreign commerce.
What does managed payroll cost for a trucking company?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Per-diem pay for drivers, owner-operator vs W-2 classification and DOT compliance are configured at setup, not billed as add-ons.
Related Resources
Anthony leads payroll solutions at Business Executive Group, a national managed payroll firm serving businesses across industries including Trucking & Transportation Companies. BEG manages payroll at $45 PEPM, all-inclusive, with deep expertise in compliance, multi-state filing, and industry-specific payroll requirements. Get instant pricing at beghr.com.
Authoritative source: U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
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