The Trump Administration reportedly has a new nominee to head up the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Trucking groups are praising the nomination of an experienced commercial law enforcement official to head up the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to multiple published reports and news releases, the Trump Administration has nominated Derek Barrs as FMCSA administrator, though no formal press release had yet been appeared on the DOT or White House websites as of 6:00 p.m. EDT on March 25.
Barrs formerly served as the chief of the Florida Highway Patrol and is a member of the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board as well as the Florida Trucking Association.
If confirmed as administrator of FMCSA, Barrs would become the agency’s first confirmed administrator since Robyn Hutcheson left the agency in 2023.
The news comes days after Adrienne Camire, who was named acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration earlier this month, apparently left the position. Her name and information disappeared from the FMCSA website, including the news release that announced her new role.
It was not immediately clear if Barrs also would be named acting administrator.
Trucking-Backed Nominee
Chief executives from ATA, the Truckload Carriers Association, and the National Tank Truck Carriers wrote to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy in January recommending Barrs for the position.
Barrs was chief of the Florida Highway Patrol, leaving in 2020, working for HNTB Corp. the past five years. According to ATA, he recently has been a consultant on traffic-related and commercial motor vehicle safety projects in several states.
He joined ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021. He has been an active member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in multiple roles, including serving as the president of CVSA’s Associate Members, where he represented motor carriers and suppliers to the industry.
“With nearly two decades of experience in law enforcement and the commercial motor vehicle industry, Derek Barrs’ career has been defined by his emphasis on making our roads safer for all motorists,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear in a statement.
“Derek’s extensive public service at the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Patrol make him exceptionally well qualified to be FMCSA administrator. He has a proven track record of strengthening ties between the trucking industry and public safety officers to address top transportation challenges such as drug impairment, cargo theft, and human trafficking.
“Derek’s deep knowledge of the trucking industry and his collaborative approach will make him an invaluable asset to U.S. DOT. Under his leadership, the trucking industry is confident that FMCSA will make significant progress towards achieving our shared priorities of improving highway safety and efficiently delivering the nation’s freight.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association congratulated Barrs on the nomination in a statement.
“We look forward to working with him in advancing the priorities of small business truckers across America, including fighting freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, and closing regulatory loopholes to ensure the safest truck drivers remain in the industry,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance issued a statement supporting the nominee, as well. The CVSA noted that Barrs was an active member of CVSA, serving as the Florida Highway Patrol’s lead agency representative within the Alliance and as chair of CVSA’s Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee, where he led efforts to identify technological advancements that could be leveraged to improve commercial motor vehicle safety.
Working with Trucking
The ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board, of which Barrs is a member, was formed in 2021 to advise the association on ways to grow and strengthen relationships between the trucking industry and law enforcement organizations.
In 2021, Barrs said in an interview with Trucking Moves America that one of the projects he was most proud of during his time in law enforcement was a partnership developed with the Florida Trucking Association called “Truck Drivers and Troopers.”
“I was proud to work with our trucking association in Florida to put a trooper in a truck with a driver for the day. The trooper travels with the driver for the whole day — from start to finish — to better understand a driver’s day-to-day work. This program helps truck drivers and troopers better understand each other’s role and build a relationship and respect for each other.”
Learn more about the ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board:
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