U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $73,452 in Overtime Back Wages For Northeast Texas Trucking Company Employees

LINDALE, TX – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Barrington Trucking – a trucking company based in Lindale, Texas – has paid $73,452 in back wages to 15 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Investigators determined that Barrington Trucking misclassified drivers as independent contractors and paid them straight time for all the hours that they worked, failing to pay legally required overtime when those employees worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. 

“The Wage and Hour Division will continue to ensure that workers are paid all the wages they have legally earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jesus A. Valdez, in Dallas, Texas. “Incorrectly classifying employees as independent contractors shorts employees, and puts law abiding employers at an economic disadvantage. We encourage all employers to contact us with any questions they may have, and to review their own pay practices to avoid violations like those found in this case.”  

The Department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos and confidential calls.

Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at www.dol.gov/agencies/whd including a search tool for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD.

The mission of WHD is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.