Truckers Lose Bid to Block California Worker Classification Law

A federal judge declined to block a California law that makes it harder to classify freight hauling drivers as independent contractors instead of employees.

Judge Roger T. Benitez of the US District Court for the Southern District of California rejected the California Trucking Association and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association motions for a new injunction to block the state law known as AB 5. The law, which codified a 2018 California Supreme Court ruling, was enacted to address the widespread problem of classifying certain workers as independent contractors who usually lack benefits such as workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and ...