Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act of 2025

119 HR 5423 IH: Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act of 2025 U.S. House of Representatives 2025-09-17 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 5423 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 17, 2025 Ms. Brownley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the use of predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase programs by certain motor carriers, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act of 2025 . 2. Prohibition on predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase agreement programs Section 14102 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (c) Prohibition on predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-Purchase agreement program (1) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to prohibit the use of predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase programs by motor carriers providing transportation subject to jurisdiction under subchapter I of chapter 135. (2) Relief provision In promulgating regulations pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish a process by which drivers can be granted relief from the terms of a lease-purchase agreement if— (A) the Secretary finds that the terms of the lease-purchase agreement violated regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1); and (B) the lease-purchase agreement was entered into after the effective date of the regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1). (3) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase agreement program The term predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase agreement program means the framework of motor carrier-driver relationship, including the lease-purchase agreement, the contract for the driver’s work for the motor carrier, and the motor carrier’s practices in implementing the contracts that are not provided in the contract, including the motor carrier’s recruitment practices, operational practices, and tax and finance practices, whereby the motor carrier controls the work, compensation, and debts of the driver, and the driver accrues no equity or is forced to give up equity accrued in the contracted truck. (B) Lease purchase agreement The term lease-purchase agreement means a financial contract by which a driver leases a commercial motor vehicle from a motor carrier (or a firm affiliated with such motor carrier) to haul freight while driving for the same motor carrier under a separate contract. .