AASHTO Journal - FMCSA Awards $471M in Commercial Vehicle Safety Grants

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently awarded more than $471 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program or MCSAP grants to help fund a variety of initiatives aimed at preventing crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving commercial motor vehicles or CMVs.

[Above image via FMCSA]

The FMCSA noted that MCSAP – its largest grant program – supports state, territorial, and local transportation offices and law enforcement agencies in the utilization of more than 12,000 officers to increase education, outreach, and safety activities related to CMVs. All states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories receive funding annually through MCSAP grants, the agency added.

FMCSA also pointed out that that the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA – enacted in November 2021 – increased the available funding for MCSAP grants by 61 percent, giving states and territories “more money than ever before” to support roadway safety through enhanced driver and vehicle inspections, traffic enforcement, investigations, data collection, and public education and awareness.

“These grants align with the USDOT National Roadway Safety Strategy and ensure we are all working towards the same goal: zero fatalities on our roadways,” noted FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson in a statement. “FMCSA’s core mission is safety and we are committed to working with our state and territorial partners to enhance the safety of our roadways.”

She added that the goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved crashes, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs that support innovative commercial driver training, safety inspections, and enhanced compliance and enforcement initiatives.

To be eligible for MCSAP grants, a state or territory must have an FMCSA-approved Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan. The agency also noted that a revised MCSAP formula issued in 2020 helps promote “more stability” in the size of the awards to ensure that no state’s percentage of MCSAP funding will decrease by more than 3 percent, or increase by more than 5 percent, each year.