The U.S. Department of Transportation on Dec. 30 announced more than $118 million in grants to enhance commercial vehicle enforcement and provide training for military veterans entering the trucking industry.
The grants from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration direct resources to state and local agencies to reduce crashes.
“These grants are about giving our partners the tools they need to be effective,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs. “Whether it’s deploying smart technology to identify unsafe vehicles or auditing CDL programs to prevent fraud, every dollar is focused on raising the bar for safety and ensuring only qualified drivers and compliant vehicles are on our roads.”
The funding includes $71.6 million in high-priority grants to reduce commercial vehicle crashes, improve safety data, and run public awareness campaigns. It will also fund enforcement efforts targeting unsafe driving on high-risk crash corridors, initiatives to improve the secure movement of hazardous material, and the deployment of new technology to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
More than $40 million in additional grant funding will ensure that states’ CDL issuance processes are accurate and fraud-resistant. DOT also said $3.4 million in safety training grants will help current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families receive high-quality commercial driver training.
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