Sec. 3009. Truck Leasing Task Force
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/bill/117/s/2016/is/section-3009·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish a task force, to be known as the Truck Leasing Task Force (referred to in this section as the Task Force ). The Secretary shall select not more than 10 individuals to serve as members of the Task Force, including at least 1 representative from each of the following: Labor organizations. Motor carriers that provide lease-purchase agreements to owner-operators.
Consumer protection groups. Members of the legal profession who specialize in consumer finance issues, including experience with lease-purchase agreements. Owner-operators in the trucking industry with experience regarding lease-purchase agreements. Businesses that provide or are subject to lease-purchase agreements in the trucking industry. A member of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. The Task Force shall examine, at a minimum— common truck leasing arrangements available to commercial motor vehicle drivers, including lease-purchase agreements; the terms of the leasing agreements described in paragraph (1); the existence of inequitable leasing agreements and terms in the motor carrier industry; whether any such inequitable terms and agreements affect the frequency of maintenance performed on vehicles subject to those agreements; and whether any such inequitable terms and agreements affect whether a vehicle is kept in a general state of good repair; specific agreements available to drayage drivers at ports relating to the Clean Truck Program or any similar program to decrease emissions from port operations; the impact of truck leasing agreements on the net compensation of commercial motor vehicle drivers, including port drayage drivers; whether truck leasing agreements properly incentivize the safe operation of vehicles, including driver compliance with the hours of service regulations and laws governing speed and safety generally; resources to assist commercial motor vehicle drivers in assessing the financial impacts of leasing agreements; and the opportunity that equitable leasing agreements provide for drivers to start or expand trucking companies; and the history of motor carriers starting from single owner-operators.
On completion of the examination under subsection (c), the Task Force shall submit to the Secretary, the Secretary of Labor, and the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing— the findings of the Task Force with respect to the matters described in subsection (c); best practices relating to— assisting a commercial motor vehicle driver in assessing the impacts of leasing agreements prior to entering into such an agreement; assisting a commercial motor vehicle driver who has entered into a predatory lease agreement; and preventing coercion and impacts on safety as described in section 31136 of title 49, United States Code; and recommendations relating to changes to laws (including regulations), as applicable, at the Federal, State, or local level to promote fair leasing agreements under which a commercial motor vehicle driver, including a short haul driver, who is a party to such an agreement is able to earn a rate commensurate with other commercial motor vehicle drivers performing similar duties.
Not later than 30 days after the date on which the report under subsection
(d)is submitted, the Task Force shall terminate.