On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it had formed a task force to evaluate lease agreements in the trucking industry.
The Truck Leasing Task Force (TLTF), chartered by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, will evaluate truck leases in the industry and their potential safety and financial impacts on owner-operators. Officials said that the nine-member task force will be a statutory committee created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
“At a time when our country needs truck drivers more than ever, we must do everything we can to support the men and women who work in this vital industry,” Buttigieg said. “The Truck Leasing Task Force is taking a hard look at leasing agreements as part of our effort to ensure every truck driver in this country has good working conditions and can make a good living.”
Officials said that truck leasing is an important step for owner-operators in the trucking industry and that some leases may contain terms that discourage safe drivers from continuing to work in the industry.
The task force will include owner-operators, attorneys, and educators, as well as members of labor organizations, motor carriers, consumer protection groups, and other stakeholders. The nine members named to the TLTF are Tamara Brock, Brock Logistics, LLC and Lewis & Lewis Logistics, LLC (Independent Owner-Operator); Paul Cullen, The Cullen Law Firm, PLLC (Attorney); Troy Hawkins, TTOH Consulting & Logistics, LLC (Independent Owner-Operator; Jim Jefferson, Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (Consumer Protection); Joshua Krause, OTR Leasing, LLC (Business); Kaitlyn Long, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Labor Organization); Steve Rush, Carbon Express Inc. (Carrier); Lesley Tse, Animal Defense Partnership, Inc. (Attorney); and Steve Viscelli, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (Economic Sociologist).
“The Truck Leasing Task Force addresses one of trucking’s great challenges. Leasing can have a major impact on people choosing trucking as their career, and protecting drivers is of the utmost importance,” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said. “FMCSA is committed to addressing issues that may impact the recruitment and retention of drivers in the trucking industry.”