On Monday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the members of a new task force meant to protect truckers from unfair truck leasing agreements.
In a May 1 announcement, the FMCSA listed nine people who will serve on the agency’s Truck Leasing Task Force (TLTF). The TLTF will examine the financial impacts of lease agreements on owner-operators in order to help drivers better understand the impacts of the agreements before entering into them.
- 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)
- Steve Viscelli, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (Economic Sociologist)
“Truck leasing is an important step that many owner-operators in the trucking industry take to get started in the business. Leases that contain terms that are inequitable to drivers may discourage safe drivers from continuing to work in the industry,” the FMCSA noted.
“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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “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.”
“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,” says FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “FMCSA is committed to addressing issues that may impact the recruitment and retention of drivers in the trucking industry.”