President Donald Trump has nominated Derek Barrs, associate VP of the infrastructure design firm HNTB and former Florida Highway Patrol chief, as the new administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The White House quietly submitted the nomination to the Senate on Monday, March 24, though no official Department of Transportation press releases or social media posts have announced the nomination as of the time of writing.
The nomination comes just days after FMCSA mysteriously wiped the previous acting administrator, Adrienne Camire, from its web pages. The agency told Fleet Maintenance affiliate FleetOwner that “Adrienne Camire is no longer with the agency."
Transportation background
If confirmed, Barrs would bring decades of career transportation experience as a retired highway patrol chief and current infrastructure design firm leader.
He also served Florida law enforcement for nearly three decades as a deputy sheriff in Madison, Florida, from 1991 to 2001, before serving as chief of the Florida Highway Patrol from 2001 to 2020.
Barrs is also listed as a member of the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) Law Enforcement Advisory Board, which works to strengthen the bond between law enforcement and the trucking industry. He previously served the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance as associate membership president and committee chairman for the enforcement and industry modernization committee.
Since retiring from law enforcement, Barrs has worked for infrastructure design firm HNTB.
Trucking groups chime in
Trucking industry organizations, including the ATA and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), congratulated Barrs on the nomination and said that they are confidents Barrs will promote their regulatory priorities.
“With nearly two decades of experience in law enforcement and the commercial motor vehicle industry, Derek Barrs’ career has been defined by his emphasis on making our roads safer for all motorists,” Chris Spear, ATA president and CEO, said. “He has a proven track record of strengthening ties between the trucking industry and public safety officers to address top transportation challenges such as drug impairment, cargo theft, and human trafficking. … Under his leadership, the trucking industry is confident that FMCSA will make significant progress towards achieving our shared priorities of improving highway safety and efficiently delivering the nation’s freight.”
“We look forward to working with him in advancing the priorities of small-business truckers across America, including fighting freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, and closing regulatory loopholes to ensure the safest truck drivers remain in the industry,” said Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA. “We encourage a swift confirmation in the Senate and look forward to working with Mr. Barrs to improve the safety of our roadways.”
