High Court Declines California Trucker Classification Case

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t consider a California trucking company’s request to carve out truckers from a state law that makes it hard to defend their independent contractor status, leaving unaddressed a question that has divided courts and has prompted outcry from industry groups.

Cal Cartage Transportation Express LLC and other trucking companies asked the justices to consider whether the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act—which overrides state laws related to motor carrier prices, routes, or service—applies to California’s worker classification law.

At the center of the case is a 2018 California Supreme Court decision, later codified by state lawmakers, that ...