Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens protections for truck drivers against predatory lease-purchase schemes and promotes fairer contracting, but imposes compliance costs and legal risks that could raise prices, prompt litigation, and reduce some leasing options for drivers.
Transportation workers (truck drivers) — gain a clear regulatory remedy to challenge and obtain relief from abusive lease-purchase contracts, increasing drivers' ability to keep equity and improving their economic security.
Transportation workers (truck drivers) — face fewer predatory recruitment, tax, and finance practices as prohibitions on abusive lease-purchase programs reduce exploitative carrier tactics and improve drivers' long-term financial outcomes.
Transportation workers and small business owners (carriers) — benefit from clearer rules banning abusive financial arrangements, which should promote fairer contracting and more stable, accountable industry practices.
Small businesses (carriers), shippers, and consumers — may face higher costs because carriers could incur compliance expenses or be forced to abandon business models, with those costs potentially passed along to shippers and end consumers.
Transportation workers (some drivers seeking vehicle ownership) — could lose an access route to ownership if carriers reduce or stop offering lease-purchase options in response to perceived regulatory burdens.
Transportation workers and small business owners — may face increased litigation and legal uncertainty if definitions or relief procedures are ambiguous, generating legal costs and operational disruption.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires DOT to ban predatory truck lease-purchase programs within one year and create a relief process letting drivers escape abusive lease terms.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue rules within one year that ban predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase programs used by motor carriers and to create a relief process letting drivers escape abusive lease-purchase agreement terms. Defines covered lease-purchase programs and lease-purchase agreements to target carrier-controlled arrangements in which drivers accrue little or no equity and are burdened by debt or coerced into surrendering equity. The rules must allow drivers to obtain relief if the Secretary finds a lease-purchase program violates the new regulations and the agreement was entered into after the regulations take effect. The measure focuses on preventing carrier practices that combine control of work and pay with financial arrangements that leave drivers liable for vehicle debt without meaningful ownership.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Julia Brownley · Last progress September 17, 2025