FMCSA Awards More Than $70 Million in Grants to Enhance Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety |
|---|
|
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
26 September 2017
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that it has awarded more than $70 million in grants to states and educational institutions to enhance 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 today announced:
“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,” Secretary Chao added.
FMCSA’s High Priority (HP) grant program consists of HP-Commercial Motor Vehicle (HP-CMV) grants and HP-Innovative Technology Deployment (HP-ITD) grants. HP-CMV grants are designed to provide financial assistance to state commercial vehicle safety efforts, while HP-ITD grants provide financial assistance to advance the technological capability and promote the deployment of intelligent transportation system applications for CMV operations.
“Safe drivers lead to safer roadways, and safer roadways ensure that our loved ones return home at the end of their journey,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Daphne Jefferson. “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.”
A full list of this year’s HP grant awardees can be found HERE.
FMCSA’s Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grant program provides financial assistance to states to achieve compliance with FMCSA regulations concerning driver’s license standards and programs. Additionally, the CDLPI grant program provides financial assistance to other entities capable of executing national projects that aid states in their compliance efforts, which will improve the national CDL program.
The goal of the national CDL program is to reduce the number and severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes in the United States by requiring states to conduct knowledge and skills testing before issuing a CDL, maintain a complete and accurate driver history record for anyone who obtains a CDL, and impose appropriate disqualifications against any driver who violates certain offenses. This effort is directly linked to FMCSA’s focus on reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
A full listing of this year’s CDLPI grant awardees can be found HERE.
FMCSA’s Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training grant program awards grants to a variety of educational institutions that provide commercial truck and bus driving training, including accredited public or private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck driver training schools, associations, and state and local governments, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments.
The nine FMCSA grants announced today are projected to provide training for more than 350 students. A full list of the grants can be found HERE.
To learn more about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s dedication to our nation’s veterans, please visit https://www.transportation.gov/veteranstransportationcareers.
To learn more about FMCSA grants, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/grants.