FMCSA extends lease-purchase comment period

Truck drivers will now have a little more time to provide information about predatory lease-purchase agreements to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Following a request from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, FMCSA announced that it is extending the comment period through April 2.

In February, FMCSA opened a 30-day comment period to collect lease-purchase agreements. Established by Congress, the Truck Leasing Task Force has been examining the terms, conditions and equitability of common truck leasing arrangements. To get a thorough view of the lease-purchase landscape in trucking, FMCSA wants truckers to submit their lease-purchase agreements for review. The comment period was set to end Monday, March 18.

OOIDA wrote to the agency on Feb. 29, saying that truck drivers needed more time.

“We request the public comment period be extended for 30 days in order to provide the Truck Leasing Task Force as much data as possible,” OOIDA wrote. “This will give drivers and other members of the public sufficient time to collect and submit leasing information.”

In a notice that is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Wednesday, March 13, FMCSA granted a two-week extension.

“FMCSA believes it appropriate to extend the March 18, 2024 deadline to provide interested parties additional time to submit responses to the docket,” the agency wrote. “Therefore, FMCSA extends the comment period until April 2, 2024.”

Extending the comment period will allow truckers attending the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., a chance to participate. The Truck Leasing Task Force is scheduled to have its next meeting on Thursday, March 21 at MATS.

“We believe extending the comment period will provide the opportunity for more individuals who have been victimized by predatory leasing schemes to share their hardships with FMCSA and the Truck Leasing Task Force,” said Jay Grimes, OOIDA’s director of federal affairs. “We encourage anyone who has experience with leasing agreements to submit their feedback through the public comment process or participating in the TLTF Meeting that will be held at MATS on Thursday, March 21. This input from drivers will help shape the policy recommendations that are made to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Labor.”

Providing documents and commenting

OOIDA encourages truck drivers who have been affected by lease-purchase agreements in the trucking industry to participate. The Association has been made aware of many negative stories over the years that include drivers working full pay periods only to owe money back to the carrier.

To participate, a complete list of information and documents sought by FMCSA can be found here. In addition, you can find what steps are needed to ensure that private details are designated as such.

Submissions containing confidential business information should be sent to Brian Dahlin, Chief, Regulatory Analysis Division, Office of Policy, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20590-0001.

The docket for all other comments will go live on Regulations.gov. Those public comments can be submitted here. LL