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FMCSA (the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) declared today that it has donated more than $70 million in grants to states and educational institutions to improve commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety

“Our shared goal of a safer transportation system is a top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao. “These grants will further assist state and local officials in their efforts to prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes and injuries each year, and have the potential to save hundreds of lives.”

FMCSA declared today:

• $41.5 million in High Priority (HP) grants to improve commercial motor vehicle safety efforts of the states, and improve scientific capability within states,
• $30.7 million in Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grants to foster efforts by states to increase the national commercial driver’s license (CDL) program, and
• $1 million in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grants to nine teaching institutions to help train veterans for jobs as truckers and commercial bus.

Secretary Chao added: “In addition, the Department is proud to recognize the sacrifices of our nation’s heroes by providing more veterans with the opportunity to contribute to the safety of our roadways through training grants for the next generation of commercial drivers.”

High Priority (HP) grant program of FMCSA contains HP-Commercial Motor Vehicle (HP-CMV) grants and HP-Innovative Technology Deployment (HP-ITD) grants. HP-CMV grants are intended to deliver financial aid to state commercial vehicle safety efforts, while HP-ITD grants provide financial aid to advance the technological capability and encourage the placement of intelligent transportation system applications for CMV operations.

FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson said: “Safe drivers lead to safer roadways, and safer roadways ensure that our loved ones return home at the end of their journey. These grants will help ensure that our state partners have the tools and resources they need to support FMCSA’s mission of reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.”

FMCSA’s Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grant program gives financial aid to states to attain compliance with FMCSA regulations regarding driver’s license standards and programs. Furthermore, the CDLPI grant program gives financial aid to other entities that are skilled of executing national projects that assist states in their acquiescence efforts. That will which will progress the national CDL program.

The objective of the national CDL program is to cut the number and harshness of commercial motor vehicle crashes in the country by requiring states to conduct knowledge and skills testing before issuing a CDL, continue a complete and accurate driver history record for anyone who gets a CDL, and execute proper disqualifications against drivers who disrupts certain offenses. This effort is directly connected to FMCSA’s emphasis on reducing crashes, damages, and mortalities where large trucks and buses are engaged.

FMCSA’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grant program honors grants to a variety of educational institutions that provide commercial truck and bus driving training, including, universities, vocational-technical schools, qualified public or private colleges, post-secondary educational institutions, associations, and state and local governments, truck driver training schools, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments.

The nine FMCSA grants declared today are expected to provide training for more than 350 students.