Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Sept. 22, 2025:
- Congressmember floats follow-through on the Truck Leasing Task Force's recommendations from early this year. Here's what one U.S. Rep. proposes.
- Is FMCSA overseeing states' CDL testing programs properly?
- Senate confirms three DOT agency administrators in one swoop -- FMCSA still without an official boss.
House bill seeks end to predatory lease-purchase programs
Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-California) has introduced a bill intended to prevent predatory lease-purchase programs managed by carriers in the trucking industry.
In announcing the legislation, Brownley called out programs' “exploitative leasing practices … that trap truck drivers in cycles of debt and prevent them from becoming independent owner-operators.” The bill is dubbed the Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act (H.R. 5423).
The bill follows through on recommendations made by the Truck Leasing Task Force -- established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under Congressional directive to investigate the impacts of these programs -- which in its report to Congress issued in January called for an outright ban of carrier-managed lease-purchase programs.
As such, the Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to promulgate regulations to prohibit the use of predatory commercial motor vehicle lease-purchase programs by motor carriers within one year of enactment.
[Related: Carrier lease-purchases: Let’s not just throw the baby out with the bathwater]
“Current predatory leasing arrangements exploit hardworking truck drivers who are simply trying to build a career and support their families,” Brownley said. “Far too many drivers are trapped in crushing debt, denied fair pay, and prevented from ever owning their trucks. These abusive practices push dedicated workers out of the industry, create unnecessary financial stress, and can even put drivers and the public at risk on our roads.”
She added that the bill would “help put an end to these abusive practices, level the playing field for drivers by giving them a fair shot at ownership, strengthen the trucking workforce, and make our roads safer.”
The bill is endorsed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Teamsters union.
“OOIDA and truckers across America applaud Representative Brownley for taking on the predatory lease-purchase schemes that have fleeced truck drivers for decades,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “These scams dangle the promise of ownership but leave drivers broke, trapped in debt, and kicked to the curb with nothing to show for it. These schemes represent the worst in trucking, and the Predatory Truck Leasing Prevention Act would put a stop to this practice once and for all.”
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien added that predatory lease-purchase agreements “target decent hardworking people looking for careers in the trucking industry only to lead them to financial ruin,” noting that the legislation “can finally help put an end to these nefarious practices in a core American industry.”
[Related: Carriers' lease-purchase programs 'meaningful' for at least half of lessee operators]
DOT initiates audit of FMCSA’s CDL testing oversight
The U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) on Sept. 19 announced it is initiating an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s oversight of states’ CDL testing programs.
OIG said a “significant part of FMCSA’s safety mission is the national Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Program, which aims to reduce the number and severity of crashes nationwide by verifying that only qualified drivers possess a CDL.”
To obtain a CDL, applicants must pass both a knowledge and a skills test, the latter of which OIG said must be administered in English. These tests are administered by either a state driver’s licensing agency (SDLA) or state-approved third-party testers and examiners.
As part of its oversight, FMCSA is responsible for verifying SDLAs’ compliance with regulations regarding knowledge and skills testing.
OIG initiated the audit to “assess FMCSA’s oversight of states’ CDL program compliance with regulatory requirements related to CDL knowledge and skills tests,” it said, adding OIG expected to begin the work in the coming weeks. It will be conducted at FMCSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as FMCSA division offices and state locations, as necessary.
Earlier this summer, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the DOT was launching a nationwide audit into state practices for issuing non-domiciled CDLs. This new audit of FMCSA's oversight is not related to the audit announced by Duffy, though review of state CDL practices more broadly speaking was part of President Donald Trump's May executive order directing the non-domiciled CDL review.
[Related: Overdrive reporting reveals at least 60,000 non-domiciled CDLs]
Senate confirms NHTSA, FHWA administrators
The U.S. Senate last week officially confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominations for three Department of Transportation agencies’ administrators, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Highway Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administratoin.
The nominations were approved in an “en bloc” vote that included a total of 48 nominees across a range of departments and agencies. According to reporting from “The Hill,” the Senate voted the week prior to allow it to confirm large numbers of nominees at one time rather than the typical process of individual confirmations. Under the change, the Senate also only needed a simple majority to confirm the nominations instead of the standard 60 votes.
Confirmed during the vote to head up DOT agencies were:
- Sean McMaster, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Jonathan Morrison, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Paul Roberti, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association applauded the confirmation of McMaster and said it looks forward to working with him and DOT Secretary Sean Duffy “to increase truck parking capacity and reduce road congestion in order to improve highway safety and supply chain efficiency."
Still awaiting a confirmation vote is Derek Barrs, Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. No date has been announced for when Barrs’ confirmation vote will be held.
[Related: FMCSA Administrator nominee Derek Barrs makes first Congressional appearance]
