Washington – Today, the Ӱɴý applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. President Trump nominated Barrs to lead FMCSA on March 25.
“Following extensive advocacy by Ӱɴý, we are pleased that the Senate has voted to approve the nomination of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of FMCSA,” said Ӱɴý President & CEO Chris Spear. “Mr. Barrs’ confirmation was long overdue, and with rising concerns about motor vehicle safety enforcement, his leadership is urgently needed to drive accountability, strengthen state-level compliance, and ensure only qualified commercial drivers operate on our nation’s roadways.”
“Mr. Barrs is well-equipped to meet this moment, boasting nearly two decades of experience in law enforcement as well as in the CMV industry,” Spear continued. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his ability to bridge industry and enforcement, forge consensus, and deliver results. With Mr. Barrs’ expertise and the strong support of the Trump Administration, we can uphold the highest standards of safety on our nation’s highways.”
Barrs has served in various law enforcement capacities for the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Patrol. Most recently, he has been a consultant on traffic-related and commercial motor vehicle safety projects across numerous states. He also joined Ӱɴý’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021, and he has been an active member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in multiple roles, including serving as the President of the Associate Members, where he represented motor carriers and suppliers to the industry.
In addition to Barrs, Ӱɴý welcomed the Senate’s confirmation of Gregory Zerzan to be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation and Michael Rutherford to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation. Rutherford has been tapped to lead the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy. Ӱɴý looks forward to working with the entire DOT team on transportation policy, particularly as Congress prepares a surface transportation reauthorization bill in the coming year.
Ӱɴý repeatedly called on the Senate to approve these critical DOT nominations. In January, Ӱɴý, the Truckload Carriers Association, and the National Tank Truck Carriers to express full support for Barrs.
Following a vote by the Senate Commerce Committee, Ӱɴý urging them to swiftly move Barrs’ nomination to the floor for the upper chamber’s full consideration.
In September, Ӱɴý to urge him to hold a vote on Barrs’ nomination.