The U.S. Senate on Friday voted to confirm Derek Barrs as the full-time administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Barrs, a veteran of law enforcement, was nominated to the post by President Donald Trump on March 25.
Barrs has experience with the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Highway Patrol, where he retired as a chief in 2020 and served as lead Florida contact for Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance-related matters dating back many years. During Barrs' time at Florida Highway Patrol, he at one point served as the Director of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.
Trucking industry groups, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and American Trucking Associations, have backed Barrs’ nomination since it was announced.
[Related: FMCSA Administrator nominee Derek Barrs makes first Congressional appearance]
OOIDA President Todd Spencer congratulated Barrs Friday.
“We look forward to working with him to advance the priorities of small-business truckers nationwide, such as combating freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, ensuring broker compliance with existing transparency laws, and closing loopholes to ensure that only the safest, most qualified drivers remain on the road,” Spencer said. “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 U.S. DOT to improve highway safety.”
ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said Friday that “Barrs’ nomination 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.”
Spear added that “Mr. Barrs is well-equipped to meet this moment, boasting nearly two decades of experience in law enforcement" and industry. "Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his ability to bridge industry and enforcement, forge consensus, and deliver results. With Mr. Barrs’ expertise and the strong support of the Trump Administration, we can uphold the highest standards of safety on our nation’s highways.”
Barrs also received support from the law enforcement community, as Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Executive Director Collin Mooney said the group "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."
With the Senate’s confirmation vote, Barrs becomes FMCSA’s first permanent administrator since Robin Hutcheson resigned from the post in January 2024. Since then, the agency has been led on an acting basis by Vinn White, Sue Lawless and Adrienne Camire. Just two full-time administrators have presided over the agency since the end of President Obama's second term -- Raymond Martinez and Hutcheson.
