The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is directing $217 million into four grant programs aimed at safety enforcement, commercial driver licensing modernization, roadside inspection technology, and veteran workforce development. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced the investment on May 18, framing it as an effort to root out bad actors and restore integrity to the US trucking industry.
The grants target states modernizing their CDL systems to verify that every operator behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle is properly qualified and licensed. A separate program supports career training for current and former military personnel transitioning into trucking roles, addressing the persistent shortage of qualified drivers in the commercial fleet sector. Additional funding will go toward deploying technology at roadside inspection sites to strengthen enforcement and reduce fraudulent compliance records.
FMCSA also moved forward on a new Carrier Safety Measurement System overhaul that replaces the old BASIC scoring categories with a peer-comparison model giving maximum weight to the most recent inspection records. A proposed rule for autonomous commercial truck deployment was also targeted for May 2026.
Fleets preparing for heightened enforcement scrutiny can build stronger compliance cultures through consistent fleet management video training that keeps drivers current on regulatory changes.
Source: FMCSA -- https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-invest-217-million-strengthening-trucking