diff --git a/Data/Time/Zones/Read.hs b/Data/Time/Zones/Read.hs
--- a/Data/Time/Zones/Read.hs
+++ b/Data/Time/Zones/Read.hs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
   ) where
 
 import Control.Applicative
+import Control.Exception (assert)
 import Control.Monad
 import Data.Binary
 import Data.Binary.Get
@@ -144,13 +145,23 @@
   let isDst (_,x,_) = x
       gmtOff (x,_,_) = x
       isDstName (_,d,ni) = (d, abbrForInd ni abbrs)
-      lInfos = VU.toList infos
-      first = head $ filter (not . isDst) lInfos ++ lInfos
-      vtrans = VU.cons minBound transitions
-      eInfos = VU.cons first $ VU.map (infos VU.!) indices
-      vdiffs = VU.map gmtOff eInfos
-      vinfos = VB.map isDstName $ unstream $ stream eInfos
-  return $ TZ vtrans vdiffs vinfos
+      vInfos = VU.map (infos VU.!) indices
+      -- Older tz databases didn't have an explicit first transition,
+      -- but since 2014c they do.  (In 2014c it's minBound and in
+      -- later versions it's the large negative constant below.)
+      (eTransitions, eInfos) = case () of
+        _ | hasInitTrans -> assert infosHeadIsDst (transitions', vInfos)
+        _ -> (VU.cons minBound transitions, VU.cons first vInfos)
+        where
+          hasInitTrans = not (VU.null transitions)
+                         && VU.head transitions <= -0x800000000000000
+          transitions' = transitions VU.// [(0, minBound)]
+          infosHeadIsDst = not $ isDst $ VU.head infos
+          lInfos = VU.toList infos
+          first = head $ filter (not . isDst) lInfos ++ lInfos
+      diffs = VU.map gmtOff eInfos
+      tzInfos = VB.map isDstName $ unstream $ stream eInfos
+  return $ TZ eTransitions diffs tzInfos
 
 abbrForInd :: Int -> BS.ByteString -> String
 abbrForInd i = BS.unpack . BS.takeWhile (/= '\0') . BS.drop i
diff --git a/tests/testTZ.hs b/tests/testTZ.hs
--- a/tests/testTZ.hs
+++ b/tests/testTZ.hs
@@ -127,8 +127,7 @@
 
 case_DB_utc_is_utc = do
   tz <- loadTZFromDB "UTC"
-  V.forM_ (_tzDiffs tz) (@?= 0)
-  V.forM_ (_tzInfos tz) (@?= (False, "UTC"))
+  tz @?= utcTZ
 
 mkLocal y m d hh mm ss
   = LocalTime (fromGregorian y m d) (TimeOfDay hh mm ss)
diff --git a/tz.cabal b/tz.cabal
--- a/tz.cabal
+++ b/tz.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name: tz
-Version: 0.0.0.8
+Version: 0.0.0.9
 License: Apache-2.0
 License-File: LICENSE
 Author: Mihaly Barasz, Gergely Risko
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
     bytestring         >= 0.9      && < 0.11,
     containers         >= 0.5      && < 0.6,
     deepseq            >= 1.1      && < 2,
-    time               >= 1.2      && < 1.5,
+    time               >= 1.2      && < 1.6,
     tzdata             >= 0.1      && < 0.2,
     vector             >= 0.9      && < 0.11
   if flag(template-haskell)
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
     test-framework-hunit       >= 0.2     && < 0.4,
     test-framework-quickcheck2 >= 0.2     && < 0.4,
     test-framework-th          >= 0.2     && < 0.4,
-    time                       >= 1.2     && < 1.5,
+    time                       >= 1.2     && < 1.6,
     unix                       >= 2.6     && < 3,
     vector                     >= 0.9     && < 0.11
 
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@
     tz,
     base                       >= 4       && < 5,
     bindings-posix             >= 1.2     && < 2,
-    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 0.9,
-    time                       >= 1.2     && < 1.5,
+    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 1.1,
+    time                       >= 1.2     && < 1.6,
     timezone-olson,
     timezone-series,
     unix                       >= 2.6     && < 3
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@
     tz,
     base                       >= 4       && < 5,
     bindings-posix             >= 1.2     && < 2,
-    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 0.9,
+    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 1.1,
     unix                       >= 2.6     && < 3
 
 Benchmark bench_greg
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@
   Build-Depends:
     tz,
     base                       >= 4       && < 5,
-    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 0.9,
+    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 1.1,
     lens,
     thyme,
     time
@@ -168,5 +168,5 @@
   Build-Depends:
     tz,
     base                       >= 4       && < 5,
-    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 0.9,
+    criterion                  >= 0.8     && < 1.1,
     time