We Want Your Input: New Funding Available, Driver Shortage, and Trucking Safety

On July 20, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced more than $44 million in grants – made available through Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – to improve road safety and streamline the process to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). The impetus behind the grants is to increase the qualified driver workforce – a crucial component to meeting supply chain demands.

Similarly, on September 30, 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted a meeting of the National Coalition of Truck Parking with state, industry and federal leaders to discuss ongoing efforts to address the truck parking shortage. With increasing recognition that the shortage is a national safety crisis, the coalition presents an opportunity for stakeholders to provide input. U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttiegieg, said, “I’ve heard from countless truckers across the country about how the shortage of truck parking costs them time and money—not to mention making our roads less safe and weakening our supply chains”. One of the most important topics discussed at the meeting was the expanded funding resources available for truck parking projects.

And now that these funding sources are in place, the DOT is opening the door for the public – specifically anyone in the trucking industry – to opine. They are looking for a better understanding of what hurdles are currently in place to expanding the number of truck drivers in the workforce and to making conditions on our nation’s roadways safe. At Wheels Donlen, we know many of our customers are directly impacted by driver shortages as well as driver safety conditions. We wanted to keep you abreast of these developments resulting from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and solicit your input. If you are experiencing difficulties relating to driver shortages, driver credentialing or driver safety, we would love to hear from you. Our goal is to take the information you give us and use it to create a platform from which we can influence the DOT and how these funds are used.

If you have stories, ideas or experiences you would like to share, please reach out to our compliance expert, Iram Ibrahim at [email protected] so that your voice is heard.