WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced approximately $480 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program grant awards from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These funds aim to prevent crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving commercial motor vehicles. The grants will be distributed to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Across the entire country, we are making our roadways safer and strengthening our national supply chains with resources made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The funding we’re announcing today will help our local safety partners invest in initiatives that will continue this important work and make our roadways safer.”
The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program supports various safety measures including inspections of large trucks and buses, investigations of motor carriers in response to safety concerns, and audits of new truck carriers and bus companies. It also promotes outreach and education efforts addressing human trafficking, distracted driving, and other roadway safety issues. Funding amounts are determined by a formula and awarded annually to each state or territory upon completion of an FMCSA-approved Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan.
“Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program grant funding is an important tool for reducing crashes and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles,” said FMCSA Acting Deputy Administrator Sue Lawless. “The number of fatalities on our nation’s roadways involving commercial motor vehicles decreased by an estimated eight percent from 2022 to 2023. We know the needle is moving in the right direction, but until we reach zero roadway deaths, there will always be more work to do. These grants help fund that work.”
The USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy released in 2021 adopts a “safe system” approach aimed at achieving zero deaths on the nation’s roadways by integrating safer roads, people, vehicles, speeds, and better post-crash care. The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program grants directly support this strategy.
The FMCSA's primary mission is to prevent crashes involving large trucks and buses through developing regulatory standards for commercial driver’s licenses; analyzing data; sponsoring research; conducting enforcement; providing education on household goods consumer protection; and partnering with nonprofit organizations as well as local and state governments.
