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May 4, 2001 9:40 AM, EDT

Trucking companies in Puerto Rico are not exempt from provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act like their U.S. counterparts, obligating them to pay overtime to drivers and negating their inclusion under federal hours-of-service regulations, a federal judge recently ruled.

Judge Juan L. Torruella del Valle of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said trucking companies operating in interstate commerce are exempt from the FLSA, which is administered by the Department of Labor.

But U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, are not part of interstate commerce and their trucking operations must follow the FLSA pay requirements, he said.

For the full story, see the April 30 print edition of Transport Topics. .

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