WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly $500 million in grant funds will soon be issued around the country in an effort to prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said the money will be doled out to all 50 states through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.
“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.”
Funding through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program supports safety inspections of large trucks and buses, investigations of motor carriers in response to safety concerns and audits of new truck carriers and bus companies to reinforce responsible operation and ensure the safe movement of goods and passengers, according to a news release.
The funding also promotes outreach and education efforts that help combat human trafficking, distracted driving, along with other roadway safety concerns, FMCSA officials say.
The program’s funding amounts are determined by a formula and awarded annually to the lead agency of 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.”
Work has been ongoing for years to prevent crashes involving commercial trucks.
After reviewing the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) traffic fatality report issued on Monday, April 1, Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) Board President Tami Friedrich urged the government to act.
She called the more than 5,900 lives lost in large truck crashes in 2022 unacceptable, adding that on U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg must do something.
“I call on Secretary Buttigieg to take action and urgently proceed with rulemaking to require the use of speed limiters and automatic emergency braking in large trucks as soon as possible,” Friedrich said. “No one else needs to die because of bureaucratic inaction.”
NHTSA reports that 5,936 people, including truck drivers, died in truck crashes in 2022 and over 160,000 were injured.
This represents a 75% increase in truck crash fatalities since 2009.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
