The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) expresses its full support for the nomination of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Barrs’ commitment to commercial motor vehicle safety spans two decades, serving in various law enforcement capacities for the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Highway Patrol. Most recently, he served as associate vice president at HNTB, a transportation infrastructure solutions firm.
“On behalf of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which represents the 13,000 commercial motor vehicle safety inspectors throughout North America, I want to congratulate Mr. Barrs on his nomination to serve as FMCSA administrator,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney, who provided a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in February recommending Barrs for the administrator role.
Barrs was an active member of CVSA, serving as the Florida Highway Patrol’s lead agency representative within the Alliance and as chair of CVSA’s Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee, where he led efforts to identify technological advancements that could be leveraged to improve commercial motor vehicle safety.
After retiring from law enforcement as chief of the Florida Highway Patrol in 2020, Barrs continued to serve in CVSA leadership as vice president, then president of its associate (industry) members.
In addition to his leadership within the Alliance, Barrs also serves on the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board, where he continues to be an active, vocal leader in the commercial motor vehicle safety arena.
“Mr. Barrs’ long career and extensive leadership in commercial motor vehicle enforcement and industry equips him with a unique perspective on issues impacting transportation safety and positions him as an exceptionally qualified candidate to lead FMCSA,” added Mooney.
Derek Barrs (left) received the leadership recognition award from 2023-2024 CVSA President Col. Russ Christoferson, with the Montana Department of Transportation, at the 2024 CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition.
FMCSA is the lead federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles. FMCSA’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. The agency partners with state and local governments, industry, and safety advocates to keep roadways safe.
“Under Mr. Barrs’ leadership, we will continue our long-standing history of fostering a collaborative and cooperative relationship between CVSA and FMCSA,” said Mooney. “We look forward to working with Mr. Barrs and all the dedicated people at FMCSA to continue to improve safety on our nation’s roadways and, ultimately, to save lives.”
As FMCSA administrator, Barrs would lead approximately 1,100 dedicated employees across the country who work diligently every day to improve commercial motor vehicle safety through regulation, education, enforcement, research and technology.
CVSA is a nonprofit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives. The Alliance aims to prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities and believes that collaboration between government and industry improves road safety and saves lives. The Alliance’s mission is to improve commercial motor vehicle safety and enforcement by providing guidance, education and advocacy for enforcement and industry across North America.