Budget request for FY2016 includes added funding for FMCSA

Washington – President Barack Obama has asked Congress to allot $668.5 million to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as part of a $4 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2016.

FMCSA’s funding would include $339 million – 50 percent of the budget request – for the Motor Carrier Safety Grants program. The remainder of the requested budget would be split among operating expenses (41 percent), information management (6 percent), research and technology (2 percent), and partner training and program support (1 percent).

If approved, the budget would mark a 16.9 percent increase from FMCSA’s funding for FY 2015. Other budget highlights:

• $284 million for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance program, which includes grants that fund roadside inspections, interventions, compliance reviews and targeted enforcement
• $34 million for the Commercial Driver’s License program, including money to help states create uniform CDL compliance plans
• $10 million for research and technology programs that are aimed at improving safety for drivers and carriers

“Safety is our top priority, and these funds will help FMCSA improve safety on our roadways and ultimately save lives,” FMCSA acting administrator T.F. Scott Darling III said in a letter that accompanied the budget request.