Truck Leasing Task Force meeting scheduled at MATS

Truck drivers attending the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., will have the opportunity to share their stories about predatory lease-purchase agreements.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officially announced that the Truck Leasing Task Force’s next meeting will be March 21 at the annual truck show. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and then 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Congress established the Truck Leasing Task Force with the goal of ending predatory lease-purchase arrangements in the trucking industry. In these agreements, a carrier leases a truck to a driver but still possesses control for the majority of the operation. In fact, the carrier is in control of the trucker’s ability to pay off the loan.

Truckers who sign on to these agreements often pay thousands of dollars in payments and maintenance fees without ever gaining ownership of the truck. In some cases, truck drivers have reported owing the motor carrier money at the end of a pay period.

Earlier this year, some members of the task force questioned whether the lease-purchase model should end.

“I keep on the table, ‘Why we should try to save this model?’ I think it’s an important question for us to analyze,” said Paul Cullen Jr., a task force member and attorney for The Cullen Law Firm. “Why should it be saved? I think we should keep that on the table for our potential recommendation at the end.”

Meeting at MATS

The Truck Leasing Task Force’s meeting at MATS will be in-person while also providing online access.

Online participants must register for the meeting by March 14. FMCSA will provide the registration link here. Any written materials to be submitted also must be received by March 14.

On-site attendees are not required to register in advance, but those who wish to speak are encouraged to do so.

There will be a public comment period from 11 a.m. to noon and 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern on March 21.

“A public comment period … will allow drivers and lessees of CMVs to tell their personal experiences with leases and to present any supporting information they would like to share to assist TLTF in making recommendations on such agreements,” FMCSA wrote in its notice.

Collection request

In addition to the meeting at MATS, FMCSA also recently asked truckers to provide the agency lease-purchase documents for review.

A complete list of questions and documents sought by FMCSA can be found here. In addition, you can find what steps are needed to ensure that the information is kept private.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the effort but recently asked FMCSA to extend the comment period.

“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.”

As of now, the collection request will be open through March 18. LL