FMCSA Awards Over $463M in Grants for Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it would award over $463 million in grants to states to reduce commercial-motor-vehicle-involved crashes, fatalities, and injuries through safety programs. 

The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program provides grant funding to state and local law enforcement and other government agencies for safety inspections of trucks and buses, investigations of motor carriers in response to safety concerns, and audits of new trucking and bus companies.

These grants come after a rise in fatalities involving large trucks. In preliminary 2021 data from NTHSA, there was a 13% increase in fatalities from 2020 among trucks with a gross vehicle weight greater than 10,000 pounds.

"We are using resources available through the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to award more funding than ever before — a 52% increase from last year — to help prevent truck and bus crashes in every state and territory," said Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation secretary. "These grants will help improve the safety of our trucks and buses and save lives on our nation’s roadways.”  

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) includes a 52% increase over last year to the MCSAP formula grants.

All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive federal funds. 

"FMCSA’s core mission is safety, and our work supports the U.S. Department of Transportation's comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy working towards zero fatalities on our roadways," said Robin Hutcheson, FMCSA deputy administrator. "MCSAP grant funding is an important tool to help reduce large truck crashes by supporting critical CMV safety programs in every state.” 

Originally posted on Metro Magazine