Highway Safety Emerged as a Bright Spot in 2025
FMCSA Has New Chief, Accelerated Pace to Tackle CDL Mills, Emissions
Key Takeaways:
- The Trump administration in 2025 made highway safety a priority by cracking down on fraudulent CDL mills, removing nearly 3,000 training providers and pressing states like New York to revoke illegally issued licenses.
- Transportation policy faced partisan gridlock, with delayed fiscal 2026 funding, a 43-day government shutdown and uncertainty over tariffs, emissions rules and broader freight industry impacts.
- Looking ahead, Congress is weighing a multiyear highway bill for 2026 while regulators reevaluate 2027 truck emissions standards and warn that failure to pass funding by late January could trigger another shutdown.
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
WASHINGTON — It is no coincidence that the Trump administration has sought to eliminate the safety threat CDL mills represent. Since kicking off his second nonconsecutive term, President Donald Trump’s key directives have aligned primarily with his campaign pledge to amplify immigration enforcement.
Trump’s reelection has led to rapid proposals aimed at undoing many Biden-era policies. This year saw a Republican-led Congress deliver for the White House a major corporate tax reform package — the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” — and, at the same time the country’s longest government shutdown: 43 days.
While new executive orders and senior members of Congress targeted fraudulent so-called CDL mills, it is not clear yet the degree to which the legislative landscape will deliver bipartisanship on other transportation issues.
All told, 2025 was marked by a couple of bright spots specific to highway safety as well as potential challenges for the freight industry associated with tariffs and the economy.
CDL Mills
This fall, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) were among the lawmakers who unveiled legislation that would require commercial driver license testing be conducted in English. To enhance their message, the senior members of Congress urged Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to investigate this growing industry concern.
Cotton and Barr pointed to such noncompliant entry-level driver training programs as mechanisms designed to exploit regulatory loopholes. This, they argued, results in poorly trained drivers who could pose a threat to motorists.
“As the sponsors of the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act, we have been at the forefront of efforts to strengthen our commercial licensing system,” they wrote the secretary Oct. 28. “While Congress works to pass the legislation, we strongly encourage DOT to use its rulemaking authority to make further changes like mandatory training hours behind the wheel for CDLs. We applaud the steps you have taken to ensure the safety of Arkansans and Kentuckians.”
ܳ
The letter to Duffy came soon after Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) had introduced legislation that would require CDL holders to understand and communicate in English. Her bill also would disqualify commercial drivers who fail requisite English standards.
Alongside Congress’ focus on the issue, Duffy led efforts to investigate and eliminate fraudulent CDL mills and noncompliant entry-level driver training programs. DOT’s aggressive pursuit of enforcement for English-language proficiency standards guided the secretary’s highway safety agenda.
In December, the Trump administration removed nearly 3,000 CDL training providers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry.
“Training someone to operate an 80,000-pound vehicle is not a weekend hobby. It is a profession built on standards, discipline, and responsibility,” ATA President Chris Spear said Dec. 1, responding to DOT’s action. “The Trump administration has sent the right message: if you’re running a CDL mill or if you’re issuing certificates to anyone who can fog a mirror, you’re on notice.”
He added, “We appreciate this first step from the Trump administration to overhaul the vetting process for electronic logging devices. This action, paired with the recent removal of noncompliant ELDs from the registry, shows the FMCSA is committed to addressing this issue swiftly, which is critical for highway safety and fair competition.”
Also, FMCSA’s recent nationwide audit of non-domiciled commercial driver licenses determined that the New York Department of Motor Vehicles had routinely issued CDLs to foreign drivers illegally.
“When more than half of the licenses reviewed were issued illegally, it isn’t just a mistake — it is a dereliction of duty by state leadership. [New York] Gov. Kathy Hochul must immediately revoke these illegally issued licenses. If they refuse to follow the law, we will withhold federal highway funding,” Duffy said Dec. 12. “This administration will never stop fighting to keep you and your family safe on our roads.”
The path forward is simple:
Vet the legitimate programs
Shut down the frauds
Hold every link in the chain accountable
This is our chance to rebuild the CDL process and make America’s roads safer for everyone.
Read more on : — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG)
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said, “The 2025 CDL audit uncovered that New York DMV’s license issuing practices are a grossly unacceptable deviation from federal regulations that have compromised the integrity of the state’s CDL program. New York must act immediately to comprehensively audit its CDL program and revoke every single illegally issued license.”
Funding Fiscal 2026
Federal funding processes appeared to be missing bipartisan backing this year. This helped to pave the way for inaction on fiscal 2026 transportation appropriations legislation. As the year came to a close, congressional leaders did not schedule votes on the must-pass funding measure.
Although senior Republicans pledged to clear for the White House legislation meant to avert another government shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pointed to a late January deadline as the timeline for resolving Congress’ looming funding woes.
DOT’s funding authority expires Jan. 30. Failure to clear for Trump a new round of fiscal funding bills would trigger a partial shutdown.
What’s in the Senate Bill?
A Senate committee-passed version of the fiscal 2026 bill would provide:
- $927 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- $63.3 billion for the Federal Highway Administration.
- $22 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration.
- $16.8 billion for the Federal Transit Administration.
- $2.9 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration.
The House version would approve similar funding levels for those agencies and provide $200 million for programs that would increase parking access for truck drivers.
If enacted, the truck parking funds would be administered by DOT’s program. The trucking industry has strongly endorsed additional funding for parking operations. Truck parking ranked fourth on the American Transportation Research Institute’s top industry issues list for 2025.
This fall, many federal agencies shut down for a record 43 days — a massive disruption to the economy and labor force. The shutdown is attributed partly to partisan disputes that dominated Capitol Hill’s political landscape. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a critic of the president and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, sought to capture the moment: “Donald Trump and DOGE have run roughshod on hundreds of billions of dollars in funding that so many communities depend on, including funding to care for parents, to care for rural Americans, and to care for those — our veterans — who’ve served this country.”
FMCSA’s Top Boss
In October, the Senate confirmed Barrs for the top role at FMCSA. Barrs joined Duffy’s team at a time when the Trump administration is promoting funding for big-picture infrastructure projects and revisiting certain Biden-era emissions guidance.
The Senate also confirmed Michael Rutherford to be assistant secretary for Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy, Gregory Zerzan as general counsel and David Fink for the top role at the Federal Railroad Administration.
“Michael, Gregory, Derek and David are accomplished leaders in their fields who will help us advance the transportation, safety and infrastructure needs of the American people,” Duffy said Oct. 8.
Congratulations Derek Barrs and ! This was a vote to uphold the highest standards of safety on our nation's highways, and we look forward to working with you and the entire team on transportation policy, particularly as Congress readies a surface transportation… — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG)
ATA strongly endorsed the FMCSA leader.
“Following extensive advocacy by ATA, we are pleased that the Senate has voted to approve the nomination of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of FMCSA,” said Spear. “Mr. Barrs’ confirmation 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 continued, “Mr. Barrs is well-equipped to meet this moment, boasting nearly two decades of experience in law enforcement as well as in the [commercial motor vehicle ] 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.”
Emissions
This fall, ATA told its membership EPA plans to proceed with tightened nitrogen-oxide emissions limits for heavy-duty trucks for the 2027 model year. The agency, however, is open to adjusting certain requirements.
“We are encouraged by several proposed adjustments that would help lower costs and ease implementation,” Patrick Kelly, ATA’s vice president of energy and environmental affairs, said in a Nov. 17 message sent to federation membership and obtained by Transport Topics. EPA also informed ATA it “does not plan to meet” the federation’s request for a four-year delay of the rules.
Earlier in the year, ATA had asked EPA to delay the rule due to the potential for “substantial compliance costs and operational burdens at a time when the trucking industry is already contending with historically difficult market conditions.”
In a statement to TT, EPA said it is “currently working on reevaluating the 2022 Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle NOx rule and is planning to propose a rule in the spring of 2026.”
“If finalized,” per EPA, “the action will make major changes to the program requirements while maintaining the model year 2027 start of the standards, which can significantly reduce the cost of new heavy-duty vehicles, while still protecting human health and the environment, and avoiding regulatory distortions of the heavy-duty vehicle market.”
In March, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency was reevaluating the Biden-era 2022 Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle rule that regulates NOx as well as other emissions beginning with Model Year 2027. The announcement was part of the administration’s “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative.
Affordability in Off-Year Elections
On Nov. 4, former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) won the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial contests, respectively. While in New York City, Zohran Mamdani (D) was elected mayor. An array of reputable analysts and strategists who evaluated voter sentiment determined affordability concerns contributed to Democrats’ victories in off-year contests.
The 34-year-old Mamdani, considered a new leader in the political arena, met with Trump at the White House shortly after his resounding win in the Big Apple. The political world, it seemed, turned its focus on the high-profile meeting between Trump and the self-described Democratic Socialist.
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Nov. 21. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg)
“I was looking forward to having the meeting with the president to speak about the needs of the 8½ million people who call the same city we love home, and to speak frankly about the affordability crisis that is pushing so many of them out of those five boroughs,” Mamdani told Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Nov. 23. “And I found in the meeting that I had with the president, a productive one and a meeting that came back again and again to the central themes of the campaign that we ran, the cost of housing, cost of child care, the cost of groceries, the cost of utilities.”
Highway Bill
This year, the top transportation policymaker in the House of Representatives detailed his vision for comprehensive highway legislation. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure panel, said he intends to advance a conservative-leaning surface transportation measure that recognizes emerging technologies while prioritizing long-standing infrastructure networks.
“I want to put a highway bill together that addresses the next 20 years of issues within the transportation system rather than overreact into the last 10 years. And that’s what we have to do,” he said.
Ұ
“We can’t imagine what it’s going to look like in 20 years,” Graves continued during an interview with Punchbowl News on Nov. 4. “We’ve already got driverless trucks, driverless cars, driverless airplanes. The technology is going to explode. We have to anticipate where that technology is taking us, and put together a bill that addresses it.”
The House and Senate are expected to schedule votes on the multiyear highway measure in 2026. Current highway operations’ congressional approval is good through the fall. The most recent highway bill was enacted as part of 2021’s Biden-era $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
ǻ岵
This year, Greg Hodgen, CEO of Enid, Okla.-based Groendyke Transport Inc., was elected ATA’s 81st chairman. He told TT the congressional transportation committees must resolve infrastructure funding woes as part of the upcoming highway bill. He pointed to electric vehicles’ lack of contribution to highway maintenance accounts. The Highway Trust Fund, an account used by state agencies for the maintenance of transportation corridors, relies on insufficient revenue from the federal gas and diesel tax.
“Our highways are our office, and if we don’t take care of this highway system — the federal interstate system and the national highways — then we are going to suffer as an industry,” Hodgen explained. “We tear up a lot of equipment every year on poorly maintained highways.
“We have a beautiful interstate system that was built in the ’50s, and it hasn’t been maintained to the level it was when it was new. And unfortunately, it’s time to rebuild … [because] a lot of our [supply chain] roads are in bad shape.”
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing belowor go here for more info:
