The U.S. Senate has confirmed Derek Barrs as the next administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Barrs is the first Senate-confirmed FMCSA administrator in almost three years. Since 2017, FMCSA has burned through nine administrators—and only three, including Barrs, were Senate-confirmed.
The Senate, while scurrying to end the government shutdown, confirmed Barrs on Friday as part of a rapid resolution that confirmed 108 total appointments.
Barss is a retired highway patrol chief and current infrastructure design firm leader. He joined the American Trucking Association’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board in 2021 and has been an active member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Trucking industry associations quickly celebrated the confirmation.
“Following extensive advocacy by ATA, we are pleased that the Senate has voted to approve the nomination of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of FMCSA,” said Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO. “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.”
“The Alliance is looking forward to working with FMCSA Administrator Barrs and the FMCSA team to continue to strengthen our partnership, share expertise, and enhance safety initiatives with the goal of to reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles,” said Collin Mooney, CVSA executive director.
“OOIDA and professional truckers across America congratulate Derek Barrs on his confirmation to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,” said Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. “For months, we have said Mr. Barrs is the right choice for this role, and his leadership will only strengthen the strong partnership truckers already have with Secretary Duffy and the team at USDOT to improve highway safety.”
