WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has nominated Derek Barrs of Florida to be administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according to Senate documents published on Tuesday.
FMCSA acting Administrator Adrienne Camire abruptly left the agency after less than two weeks in the position.
Barrs, who was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in October to the School Board of Flagler County, is a member of the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board, as well as a member of the Florida Trucking Association (FTA).
FTA President and CEO Alix Miller called Barrs “an instrumental leader in the trucking industry,” in a press release praising Barrs’ nomination.
“His proven leadership and understanding of both public safety and transportation operations make him an ideal candidate to guide FMCSA through today’s complex challenges.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Barrs would become the ninth administrator of FMCSA since it was created in 2000.
“We look forward to working with [Barrs] in advancing the priorities of small business truckers across America, including fighting freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, and closing regulatory loopholes to ensure the safest truck drivers remain in the industry,” commented Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer in a statement.
“We encourage a swift confirmation in the Senate and look forward to working with Mr. Barrs to improve the safety of our roadways.”
The FMCSA administrator has often spoken on an FMCSA leadership panel at the Mid-America Trucking Show, which starts later this week in Louisville, Ky. FMCSA did not confirm to FreightWaves the agency official speaking on this year’s panel, scheduled for March 27.
FreightWaves correspondent Grace Sharkey will be reporting from the event.
Of 1,254,007 active and authorized “For Hire” Motor Carriers & Freight Brokers on record, 1,026,416 Motor Carriers & Freight Brokers are “NOT RATED” by the FMCSA or USDOT. Fully 81.8 % of all “FOR HIRE” Motor Carriers & Freight Brokers presently servicing US freight interests have not been visited by US DOT or FMCSA for audit review since 2001. He has his work cut out for himself.
Stop placing the onus on drivers to get trucks fixed. That is the company’s responsibility to maintain equipment; they are the registered owners. Drivers should not receive tickets that hurt their driving record for bad equipment or equipment violations that a trucking company refuses to fix!