The suit, filed by former driver Larry Westberry, claims Interstate Distributor should have paid its drivers 11/2 times their normal per-mile rate when they drove more than 40 hours a week. The suit seeks to become a class action on behalf of all Interstate drivers in similar situations.

Renee Trueblood, the company’s senior vice president of human resources and corporate counsel, said Monday that the company had just been served with the suit.

“This is still very new to us. We’re still evaluating it,” said Trueblood.

Interstate employs some 3,200 workers. It provides truckload transportation services to the lower 48 states and Canada. The company is owned by the McLean family.

The suit claims that Washington law as interpreted in a 2007 state Supreme Court case requires that drivers be paid overtime for hours worked over the normal 40 even if that time is logged out of state.

The trucking industry appealed the state court’s ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the high court refused to consider it.

The suit was filed on Westberry’s behalf by the Seattle law firm of Bendich, Stobaugh & Strong. That firm specializes in employment-related cases. It handled a class-action suit against Microsoft by temporary workers. That suit resulted in a $97 million payment to those workers.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663

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