The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) today released a major policy white paper outlining a comprehensive set of reforms to modernize the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and strengthen commercial motor vehicle safety oversight across the United States.
The paper, “Proposals for Comprehensive Reform: Prioritizing Investments in FMCSA’s Core Safety Mission,” highlights the growing mismatch between FMCSA’s expanding responsibilities and its limited staffing, outdated systems, and fragmented oversight tools. The white paper calls for Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation to realign FMCSA’s resources, modernize its registration and vetting systems, update its safety fitness framework, and streamline its statutory portfolio to focus on crash prevention.
TCA President Jim Mullen emphasized that the association greatly appreciates the work USDOT and FMCSA are doing every day to protect the motoring public, noting that the agency continues to take on more responsibilities despite limited resources. Mullen stressed that Congress must provide FMCSA with the staffing, tools, and funding necessary to fully execute its core safety mission.
“FMCSA is responsible for overseeing one of the largest and most diverse regulated populations in the federal government, yet it remains one of the smallest agencies within USDOT,” said Jim Mullen, President of the Truckload Carriers Association. “This imbalance compromises safety, weakens oversight, and leaves the motoring public at risk. These recommendations offer a path toward a more modern, data-driven, and accountable safety system, and Congress must ensure FMCSA has the resources to fulfill its mission.”
Key recommendations include:
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Substantial increases in FMCSA safety staffing and dedicated funding streams
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A unified, secure registration and vetting system with meaningful pre-operational review
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Modernization of the safety fitness determination process
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Strengthened oversight of CDL licensing, ELDT providers, and third-party testers
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Improved crash causation analysis and data integrity
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Narrowing FMCSA’s statutory portfolio to focus on core safety functions
The white paper underscores the scale of the challenge: large truck crashes killed 5,936 people and injured 160,000 in 2022, while FMCSA has only 1,118 employees overseeing nearly 8 million regulated entities — a ratio of 1 employee per 7,155 regulated entities. By comparison, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employs more than 45,000 personnel to oversee roughly 7,400 commercial aircraft operators and certificate holders.
This stark contrast underscores how FMCSA’s staffing levels lag far behind peer safety agencies despite its vastly larger regulated population.
“This is a moment for Congress to act,” Mullen added. “A stronger, more efficient, and more accountable FMCSA is essential not only for public safety, but for the stability of the nation’s supply chain. TCA stands ready to work with Congress and USDOT, and we strongly urge Congress to provide the resources necessary to support FMCSA’s critical mission.”
TCA’s white paper is available here.
