The Trucking Watchdog Explains: What does the FMCSA do?

Right now, there are easily tens of thousands of semi-trucks delivering parts and products all over the United States.

It is in the public interest that those trucks—andUS-FMCSA-Logo.svg_-e1454354010732.png truck drivers—operate safely on our roads and highways.

That’s why there’s a government agency in charge of setting and enforcing rules for commercial trucks and buses: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The primary mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities

involving large trucks and buses.

What does the FMCSA do?

The FMCSA, in part, does the following:

• Sets safety standards for trucking carriers and bus companies.
• Monitors the trucking carriers, enforcing the safety rules and regulations.
• Partners with federal, state, and local enforcement agencies, the motor carrier industry, and safety groups, all with the goal of making our roads and highways safer by reducing bus and truck crashes.
• Collects and publishes truck crash statistics.

The FMCSA is a federal government agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), along with NHTSA and FHWA.

This agency develops the standards for testings and licensing Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers. They create and enforce road safety rules for truck drivers across the U.S.

You can learn more about this federal agency, and its role in trucking safety, at fmcsa.dot.gov

What does the USDOT actually do? Trucking Watchdog explains…