The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking applications to fill as many as 10 spots on a newly formed Truck Leasing Task Force to evaluate the impacts of commercial motor vehicle lease agreements and discuss best practices for future agreements.

The task force in an initiative mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the White House’s long-term Trucking Action Plan.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the TLTF “one of the important actions the Administration is taking to improve the trucking industry” to help ensure leasing is “above board.”

Among the topics to be researched by the task force:

-- Exploring predatory truck leasing arrangements in coordination with Department of Labor and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

-- Evaluating common truck lease agreements and their terms, identifying and reviewing those that are potentially inequitable in the motor carrier industry 

-- Reviewing agreements available to drayage drivers at ports

-- Studying the impact of truck leasing agreements on the net compensation of commercial motor vehicle drivers

-- Examining truck leasing arrangements and financing arrangements among motor carriers, entry-level drivers, driver training providers, and others involved in the industry

-- Assessing resources that assist CMV drivers in reviewing the financial impacts of leasing agreements 

An exploration of lease purchasing practices was one of the workshops offered during the recent Truckload Carriers Association convention in Las Vegas.

“We have pushed for something to be done about predatory lease-purchase agreements for many years,” Norita Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said in a statement to Transport Topics in February. “While the supposed goal is for the driver to eventually own the truck and become a full-fledged owner-operator at the end of the lease, the agreements rarely end that way. The lack of oversight often leads to disastrous results for the truck driver.”

The developing Task Force will have representation from labor organizations, motor carriers, consumer protection groups, legal professionals, owner-operators, and other relevant businesses.

FMCSA encourages “diverse, non-traditional representatives, especially women and people of color” to apply to serve. The application process is open through May 6 and the task force must be created by May 22.

More information can be obtained at the FMCSA website: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/tltf.

The task force will submit a report of its findings to FMCSA and the U.S. Department of Labor. 

“The Task Force will be instrumental in expanding our understanding of the financial impacts of truck leasing and will reinforce our commitment to quality of life and safety for professional truck drivers,” FMCSA Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson said. “We ask those who are interested in joining to reach out so we can better support CMV drivers together.”