The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced over $8 million in federal grants to improve commercial truck and bus safety across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania last week.
FMCSA awarded $7.9 million to the Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation to strengthen enforcement oversight at high-crash corridors throughout the state, conduct safety audits of new truck and bus companies and upgrade the commercial driver’s license knowledge test from paper to electronic form at testing facilities across the state.
FMCSA also awarded $174,370 to the City of Philadelphia Police Dept. to support its full-time commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspection unit and to increase safety inspection strike forces and other traffic enforcement activities at popular destinations. FMCSA additionally awarded the Pittsburgh Police Dept. $239,991 to bolster commercial truck and bus inspections at tunnel entrances and to train its CMV enforcement unit.
“Local and state law enforcement are our first line of defense for identifying and removing unsafe commercial trucks and buses from our roads,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator William Bronrott. “These targeted resources will help us save lives by strengthening compliance with bus and truck safety standards across Pennsylvania and along the I-95 corridor.”
“Above all else, safety is our top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These grants empower our Pennsylvania partners with the vital resources they need to raise the bar for commercial truck and bus safety, and to swiftly remove unsafe operators from the road.”
To learn more about FMCSA’s commercial truck and bus safety grant programs and other safety initiatives, visit the FMCSA website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov
