Mercer Trailer Lease – What Happened After They Took My Trailer Back

Thanks, Pepper24 — I really appreciate that. What you said about Mercer’s brokerage tactics is exactly in line with how they handled me as a lease driver: cut corners, misrepresent terms, and always default to the lowest payout. Your story about them agreeing to a rate and then backing out ten minutes later? That’s exactly the kind of “oops, sorry — take the lower rate” game they played with me at the end of my lease, except they used the legal system to do it.

And it’s funny you mention TQL — I’ve had my own share of experiences with them too. Took a couple of loads from them, and after driving hundreds of miles to get to the shipper, I’d get the call: “Oh, sorry, the load’s been cancelled.” Only to find out later it wasn’t cancelled at all — they just found another driver to haul it cheaper. TQL’s got a well-earned reputation for playing those games.

So the fact that Mercer — as you said — is considered even lower than TQL on the brokerage side? That says a lot. It’s the same mentality: squeeze the driver, keep the money, and treat the contract like it’s optional if it suits them.

You nailed it here:

“... if you are going to do a LP with a company that doesn’t allow you to take the equipment to another company as long as you continue to make the payments...”

That’s exactly what trapped me. Mercer’s lease-purchase was structured so the only way to pay was through their dispatch settlements. Once they terminated me, I had no path to cure the lease — they’d designed it that way from day one. They used that to repossess the trailer and then sue me anyway for full value plus $60K+ in legal fees — despite the trailer already being back in their possession.

The more I dig, the more I see it’s the same game: whether it’s brokers or drivers, they’re using contracts and fine print to flip the table whenever it suits them.

Thanks for sharing your story. Drivers — and even brokers — need to hear this stuff.

 

Yeah, you live and learn. I’m definitely a lot smarter now than I was before I started down this path. I’d never sign up for something like that again.

The real problem is how companies like Mercer use these lease-purchase deals as recruiting tools — they make it sound like an opportunity, but in reality, it’s just another way to get drivers in the door. And once you’re in, they can turn that lease into a weapon if they decide they’re done with you.

 

Because at the time, it seemed like a real path to ownership — and that’s exactly how it was sold. I knew the risks, but I also believed they’d honor the deal if I did my part. Turns out, that’s not how it played out.

 

That’s wild — and it fits exactly with how Mercer plays the game. Your buddy was doing everything right, paid off the trailer, and then they used a random inspection to come after him anyway. That says a lot about what Mercer’s real priorities are.

It’s like they treat any little issue as an excuse to reset the deal or push the driver out — even if you’re in good standing and have a clean record. It’s one thing when a driver’s messing up. But when it’s the company going after guys like your friend who already proved they could run, that’s a whole different story.

Thanks for sharing this — it’s a perfect example of why these lease-purchase programs are never really about the driver owning the equipment in the end.