If you run a local hauling operation, you already know how hard it is to keep good drivers around. This blog explores the real reasons drivers leave and shares practical steps you can take to hold on to the ones who keep your trucks moving.
How to manage lease haulers? Lease haulers a.k.a subcontractors are independent truck owners or other hauling companies that contract with companies to haul loads. A lot of dump truck businesses use them because it’s a flexible way to add more trucks without actually owning them.
But managing lease haulers isn’t always easy. If you don’t set clear expectations, you’ll run into problems—missed deadlines, compliance issues, and unreliable haulers who disappear when you need them most.
This guide is going to cover everything you need to know, including how to:
If you’re working with lease haulers or thinking about it—this will give you a solid game plan for managing them the right way.
Lease haulers are truck owners who run their own businesses but contract with companies to haul loads. They’re not employees, and they don’t drive company-owned trucks. They bring their own equipment, handle their own maintenance, and take on their own expenses. A lot of dump truck operations use lease haulers because it’s an easy way to get extra trucks on the road without having to buy more equipment or hire full-time drivers.
For many businesses, lease haulers just make sense. You don’t have to worry about truck payments, insurance, or maintenance costs like you would with company-owned equipment. You call them when you need them, and when work slows down, you’re not stuck paying for trucks that aren’t hauling.
But it’s not all upside. Since lease haulers run their own show, you don’t have the same level of control. If they don’t show up on time, don’t follow safety rules, or decide to take a job elsewhere, it’s your problem to deal with.
And while they’re responsible for their own equipment, any DOT violations or safety issues they rack up while hauling for you can still reflect on your company if they are running under your authority.
Most trucking companies in the U.S. operate on a small scale. According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), as of March 2024, there were over 577,000 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA that own or lease at least one tractor.
Out of those, 95.5% operate 10 or fewer trucks, and 99.6% operate 100 or fewer trucks. That means most businesses rely on a mix of company trucks and lease haulers to stay competitive.
Even though lease haulers own their trucks, if they’re working under your DOT number, their violations and safety record count against you. That means you need to keep a close eye on their legal requirements, vehicle maintenance, and driver safety to protect your business.
Every lease hauler needs to be operating under a valid USDOT number unless they’re strictly working intrastate and don’t meet DOT’s weight requirements. If they’re using your DOT number, their actions directly affect your compliance record. That means if a lease hauler racks up safety violations, doesn’t follow Hours of Service (HOS) rules, or fails a DOT inspection, your company could be hit with penalties.
If lease haulers are running under their own DOT authority, they’re responsible for maintaining compliance themselves but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it.
Before working with any lease hauler, check their DOT safety record, CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) score, and insurance status. If they have a history of violations, they’re a liability to your business.
Not every driver with a dump truck qualifies to haul for your operation. If the truck weighs 26,001 lbs or more, the lease hauler must have a Class B CDL. If they’re pulling a trailer over 10,000 lbs, they need a Class A CDL.
Just because a lease hauler claims they have the right license doesn’t mean they do. Always verify their CDL before they take a job with you. If DOT pulls them over and they don’t have the proper credentials, it’s going to be your problem too.
FMCSA’s Truth-in-Leasing regulations (49 CFR Part 376) protect both trucking companies and independent haulers by requiring lease agreements to clearly outline:
If your lease agreement isn’t clear, you could face disputes over payment, liability, or operating authority. Worse, if FMCSA audits you and finds violations in your lease agreements, you could be fined or even shut down.
Keeping lease haulers compliant isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about making sure their trucks are safe and their operations don’t put your business at risk. If they’re running under your DOT number, their maintenance, inspections, and driving habits directly impact your company’s safety record and liability.
Just because a lease hauler owns their truck doesn’t mean they’re keeping up with maintenance. If they’re hauling under your authority and their truck fails a DOT inspection, your company’s compliance record will take the hit.
Make sure every lease hauler:
A bad tire, faulty brakes, or missed maintenance check can get a truck put out of service, and if that truck is working for you, it affects your business.
FMCSA requires all drivers operating under a company’s DOT number to be enrolled in a drug and alcohol testing program. A lot of lease haulers assume this doesn’t apply to them because they’re independent, but that’s not how FMCSA sees it.
If they’re driving under your authority, they must be part of your random drug testing pool. Before hiring a lease hauler, make sure they:
Lease haulers must follow Hours of Service (HOS) rules, just like company drivers. That means tracking their driving hours, rest breaks, and total on-duty time to avoid violations.
If a lease hauler is operating beyond the short-haul exemption, they must use an FMCSA-approved Electronic Logging Device (ELD). Some lease haulers try to get around this, but if DOT catches them without an ELD when required, your company could be fined.
To stay compliant, make sure lease haulers:
Ignoring HOS rules can lead to driver fatigue, increased accident risk, and DOT penalties. If your lease haulers aren’t following the rules, it’s only a matter of time before it affects your business.
If expectations aren’t clear, schedules aren’t tight, or payments get delayed, you’ll find yourself dealing with unreliable haulers, missed deadlines, and rising costs. Here are the best practices to keep your lease haulers reliable, compliant, and cost-effective.
Bringing in lease haulers isn’t just about finding someone with a truck. You have to make sure they fit into your operation without creating compliance headaches or payment disputes. Background checks, CDLs, insurance, and DOT records all need to be verified, but the real key is the contract.
A clear lease agreement is non-negotiable. It should spell out how they’ll be paid, what they’re responsible for (fuel, maintenance, insurance), and how disputes are handled.
If the contract is vague or missing critical details, expect problems down the road. The FMCSA requires that lease agreements include compensation terms, liability details, and termination conditions, so make sure you’re covered. If it’s not in writing, don’t expect it to hold up when issues arise.
If a lease hauler doesn’t know exactly when and where they need to be, what they’re hauling, and who to check in with, you’re setting yourself up for delays and confusion. Since they’re independent, they may be working with multiple companies, and if you’re not organized, you’ll lose out to the next job that gets scheduled faster.
Stop relying on phone calls and texts—dispatching needs to be structured. Good dispatching software can facilitate dispatching and communications.
Lease haulers need to know exactly what’s expected at every job site.
These things may seem minor, but wasted time on-site adds up fast. But this won’t be a problem if drivers have their own driver app where communication, clocking in and out, assignments, GPS navigation, and more are readily available to them.
No need for back-and-forth calls between drivers and dispatchers about assignments—everything they need is right at their fingertips, keeping operations smooth and efficient.
You may not have full control over lease haulers like company drivers, but you can still track performance.
Keeping track of lease haulers used to be a mess—constant back-and-forth calls, chasing paperwork, and hoping drivers showed up when they said they would. Having a system to track reliability and performance will help you weed out the bad haulers and keep the best ones coming back.
Dump Truck Dispatcher’s Lease Hauler Portal fixes a lot of that. Instead of manually tracking subcontractors, lease haulers can handle their own truck and driver updates, so you’re not stuck chasing down the latest information.
Lease haulers can be a cost-effective solution or a financial drain—it depends on how well you manage their pay, fuel, and maintenance costs.
Are you paying per load, per ton, or per hour? Each payment method comes with its own trade-offs.
Per load keeps things predictable, but if the hauler runs into delays, they may lose out. Per hour gives them stability but can lead to inefficiency.
Make sure whatever structure you choose aligns with your budget and business goals. And pay on time—late payments lead to unreliable haulers.
If a lease hauler’s truck breaks down mid-job, you’re stuck without a truck. Some fleets require haulers to submit regular maintenance logs to ensure their trucks stay in top shape. Others offer access to fleet maintenance programs at discounted rates to help keep lease haulers' trucks running without major downtime. The better maintained their trucks are, the more reliable they’ll be for your operation.
If you’re still relying on phone calls, texts, and paper logs to run your dump truck operation, you’re making things harder than they need to be. Technology takes the guesswork out of fleet management and lets you focus on getting the job done instead of chasing drivers for updates.
You can’t manage what you can’t see. GPS tracking tells you exactly where your trucks are at all times, so there’s no more calling drivers and waiting on vague ETAs. If a truck is off course, stuck in traffic, or running late, you’ll know immediately and can adjust on the fly.
Dashcams and telematics? Worth every penny. They protect you from false accident claims and help track driver behavior—things like hard braking, speeding, and excessive idling. If a hauler is running recklessly, you’ll know before it turns into a bigger problem.
A lot of companies skip this step because they think it’s unnecessary but having a record of what actually happened can save you thousands in legal fees and insurance claims.
Dispatching by phone is outdated. A good dispatch system lets you send job details straight to a hauler’s phone, update assignments in real-time, and track progress without the back-and-forth. No more drivers saying they “never got the message” or showing up at the wrong location.
And let’s talk about paperwork. If you’re still using paper tickets, you’re losing time and money. Digital e-ticketing means no lost load slips, no missing records, and faster invoicing. Jobs get logged instantly, which means you get paid faster. Simple as that.
Technology makes everything run smoother. Whether it’s tracking trucks, cutting down on paperwork, or keeping haulers accountable, if you’re not using these tools, you’re just making more work for yourself.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific guidance, please consult a qualified professional to ensure you meet all applicable regulations.
So, how to manage lease ahulers? Managing lease haulers can either keep your business running smoothly or turn into a complete headache. If you’re not keeping up with compliance, scheduling, and communication, things will fall apart fast.
The biggest mistakes? Not having clear contracts, not tracking performance, and assuming lease haulers will just handle things on their own.
Technology also makes a huge difference. GPS tracking, digital dispatching, and automated invoicing take the guesswork out of managing haulers. If you’re still using paper logs and manual scheduling, you’re making things harder than they need to be.
At the end of the day, it’s about CONTROL. You can’t manage what you don’t track. Get the right systems in place, hold haulers accountable, and make compliance non-negotiable.
If you want to improve your operations' efficiency, you can schedule a FREE consultation with our experts to see what solutions might work for your operation.
If you run a local hauling operation, you already know how hard it is to keep good drivers around. This blog explores the real reasons drivers leave and shares practical steps you can take to hold on to the ones who keep your trucks moving.
As the industry grows, the need for better tools becomes even more important. Today, the best dispatch software helps reduce delays, speed up billing, and keep operations running smoothly across the board. In this article, we’ll walk through the key features to look for in the best dispatching software and how the right tools can support better hauling performance.
Lease haulers a.k.a subcontractors are independent truck owners or other hauling companies that contract with companies to haul loads. But managing lease haulers isn’t always easy. If you’re working with lease haulers or thinking about it—this will give you a solid game plan for managing them the right way.