President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration knows the trucking industry — and has experience working directly with drivers and industry leaders.
As Florida Highway Patrol chief, Derek Barrs developed a program alongside the Florida Trucking Association to help bridge the divide between truck drivers and troopers.
The “Truck Drivers and Troopers” partnership matched a trooper and member carrier together for a workday to better understand each other’s jobs and the issues they face, the association said on LinkedIn.
“His proven leadership and understanding of both public safety and transportation operations make him an ideal candidate to guide FMCSA through today’s complex challenges,” FTA President and CEO Alix Miller said in the post.
Barrs “has been boots on the ground” with the trucking industry for years, the group said. He joined the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021, and he also has served in multiple roles with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
That makes him the type of candidate trucking advocates hoped would serve as the industry’s next chief safety regulator. Three national trucking groups, the ATA, the Truckload Carriers Association and the National Tank Truck Carriers, had lobbied for his nomination in January.
“Throughout his career, Derek has demonstrated an ability to create effective collaborations between the trucking industry and public safety officers to address critical issues including road safety initiatives educating the motoring public,” Miller said in the FTA’s post.
