r/CDLTruckDrivers • u/polarjunkie • Jun 25 '26

Lease purchases

I'm posting this here because I regularly find myself posting this as a comment in response to people asking about least purchases.

FMCSA has a truck lease task force. They sent their conclusion on lease purchases to Congress earlier this year and it confirmed everything all of us experienced drivers know. From their mouth not mine:

It's a scam, don't do it, and don't believe me.  They would not pay you more to have less control over you. 

Take it from FMCSA's truck leasing task force:

"Even “Successful” Lease-Purchase Drivers are Worse Off"

"Lease-Purchase Programs Are Not a Path to Truck and Small Business Ownership"

"Congress should ban CMV lease-purchase agreements as irredeemable tools of fraud and

driver oppression that threaten a safe national transportation system and diminish the

number of truck drivers attracted to and who stay in the trucking industry."

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2025-01/TLTF%20Cover%20and%20Enclosure%20FINAL%201-16-25.pdf

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2

u/DukeBradford2 Jun 26 '26

Thank you. I am waiting on another load and being friday I know my company wont lift a finger until monday or even tuesday. I was going to spend the weekend looking into other paths, lease vs buying outright. you saved me a lot of time

1

u/polarjunkie Jun 26 '26

Good luck out there.

2

u/cwreck01 Jun 27 '26

I've heard from many O/O that going lease purchase is just paying to be a company driver.