Related: Walmart Ordered to Pay $54 Million in Driver Pay Lawsuit
Judge Blocks Additional $80 Million Penalty in Walmart Drivers Lawsuit
A judge has rejected an additional $80 Million penalty on top of the $54 million drivers were awarded in the Walmart driver wage lawsuit the company lost in November.

A judge has rejected an additional $80 Million penalty in the Walmart driver wage lawsuit the company lost in November, according to an Associated Press report.
In the original lawsuit, the court awarded $54 million to more than 800 drivers who worked for the company between October 2005 and 2015. The suit argued that drivers were not being compensated properly for activities such as vehicle inspections, washing or layovers and originally sought $72 million in damages.
After being awarded the $54 million, attorneys in the case asked for an additional $80 million in penalties. The judge in the case denied the additional sum, in part because Walmart’s original sum was already one of the highest such compensations in the trucking industry.
The judge did award drivers an additional $6 million for any time they were denied proper compensation by Walmart that was not covered in the original case.
Walmart had argued that drivers shouldn’t be paid minimum wage for layovers or rest time because their pay was based on mileage, not hours, and drivers weren’t working during that time. The company also argued that it was unreasonable to be expected to break down pay by each activity when some of it only took a few minutes to accomplish.
Wal-Mart still disagrees with the original verdict and maintains that it paid drivers within compliance of California law, noting its driver's average earnings ranged from $80,000 to over $100,000 per year.
More Drivers

Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
Read More →
FMCSA Removes 110 Truck Driver Training Schools from Certified ELDT List
Federal regulators also are targeting more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers as part of a broader crackdown on trucking fraud.
Read More →
Hours of Service Pilot Programs: FMCSA Readies for 2027 Rollout
Two pilot programs could eventually reshape hours-of-service rules, giving truck drivers options to pause their 14-hour clock or use longer split sleeper rest periods.
Read More →
Medical Cards, English Proficiency Reshape Roadcheck Violations
Medical-card violations jumped to the top of the driver out-of-service list during CVSA’s 2026 International Roadcheck, while English-language proficiency violations appeared among the leading violations for the first time.
Read More →
Driver Trust Can Make or Break the Success of Fleet Safety Technology
New Teletrac Navman research suggests that onboarding, transparency about driver data, and positive feedback can play a significant role in how commercial drivers respond to safety and coaching technology.
Read More →
EEOC Sues KLLM Over Alleged Sex Discrimination in Driver Training
KLLM is facing a federal sex-discrimination lawsuit over policies the EEOC alleges put female truck driver trainees at a disadvantage.
Read More →
FMCSA Moves to Codify English Language Requirements for Commercial Drivers
By changing regulations on English-language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers, rather than relying on a guidance memo, the FMCSA said future administrations won't be able to walk back the Trump administration's stricter enforcement with just a memo.
Read More →Drivers Put Western Star Trucks to the Test at Star Nation Experience
Watch to get an inside look at the Western Star trucks, technology, and community behind the Star Nation Experience 2026!
Read More →
Trump Administration Looks to Put More Veterans Behind the Wheel
The Freedom Haulers program pulls together existing and expanded programs at several federal agencies to recruit veterans to drive commercial heavy-duty trucks and cut the red tape for them to get a CDL, training, and employment.
Read More →
Putting Mack’s Command Steer to the Test
A test drive of Mack’s Command Steer active steering system evaluates how it can make truck driving easier and less tiring.
Read More →
