Sec. 23009. TRUCK LEASING TASK FORCE

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## SEC. 23009 TRUCK LEASING TASK FORCE ###

(a)Establishment 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”). ###

(b)Membership ####

(1)In general 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: #####

(A)Labor organizations. #####

(B)Motor carriers that provide lease-purchase agreements to owner-operators. #####

(C)Consumer protection groups. #####

(D)Members of the legal profession who specialize in consumer finance issues, including experience with lease-purchase agreements. #####

(E)Owner-operators in the trucking industry with experience regarding lease-purchase agreements. #####

(F)Businesses that provide or are subject to lease-purchase agreements in the trucking industry. ####

(2)Compensation A member of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. ###

(c)Duties The Task Force shall examine, at a minimum— ####

(1)common truck leasing arrangements available to commercial motor vehicle drivers, including lease-purchase agreements; ####

(2)the terms of the leasing agreements described in paragraph (1); ####

(3)#####

(A)the existence of inequitable leasing agreements and terms in the motor carrier industry; #####

(B)whether any such inequitable terms and agreements affect the frequency of maintenance performed on vehicles subject to those agreements; and #####

(C)whether any such inequitable terms and agreements affect whether a vehicle is kept in a general state of good repair; ####

(4)specific agreements available to drayage drivers at ports relating to the Clean Truck Program or any similar program to decrease emissions from port operations; ####

(5)the impact of truck leasing agreements on the net compensation of commercial motor vehicle drivers, including port drayage drivers; ####

(6)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; ####

(7)resources to assist commercial motor vehicle drivers in assessing the financial impacts of leasing agreements; and ####

(8)#####

(A)the opportunity that equitable leasing agreements provide for drivers to start or expand trucking companies; and #####

(B)the history of motor carriers starting from single owner-operators. ###

(d)Report 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— ####

(1)the findings of the Task Force with respect to the matters described in subsection (c); ####

(2)best practices relating to— #####

(A)assisting a commercial motor vehicle driver in assessing the impacts of leasing agreements prior to entering into such an agreement; #####

(B)assisting a commercial motor vehicle driver who has entered into a predatory lease agreement; and #####

(C)preventing coercion and impacts on safety as described in section 31136 of title 49, United States Code; and ####

(3)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. ###

(e)Termination Not later than 30 days after the date on which the report under subsection

(d)is submitted, the Task Force shall terminate.