Dive Brief:
- President Donald Trump nominated a former Florida Highway Patrol chief on Monday to head the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — a move the trucking industry had advocated for.
- At least three industry groups had lobbied for the nominee, Derek Barrs, who was the top highway patrol cop at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for 19 years, according to his LinkedIn.
- If confirmed by the Senate, Barrs would be the agency’s first permanent administrator since Robin Hutcheson, who resigned in January 2024.
Dive Insight:
The nomination of the industry’s preferred chief safety regulator came days after Trump’s selection for acting administrator, Adrienne Camire, disappeared from the leadership page of FMCSA’s website.
The U.S. Department of Transportation did not respond to requests for comment on the apparent departure of Camire, a former Federal Highway Administration chief counsel.
The American Trucking Associations celebrated the nomination of Barrs, who joined the group’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021. Barrs also has served in multiple roles on the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance — including as president of the associated members, where he represented motor carriers and suppliers, ATA noted.
“Derek’s deep knowledge of the trucking industry and his collaborative approach will make him an invaluable asset to USDOT,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement. “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.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said the group looks forward to working with Barrs to advance the priorities of its 150,000 small business trucker members.
Those priorities include “fighting freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, and closing regulatory loopholes to ensure the safest truck drivers remain in the industry,” Spencer said in an emailed statement.
“We encourage a swift confirmation in the Senate and look forward to working with Mr. Barrs to improve the safety of our roadways,” Spencer said.
