Former Florida Highway Patrol Chief confirmed as new head of FMCSA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a new Administrator who has a long background in law enforcement.

On October 3, 2025, Derek D. Barrs was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Administrator of the FMCSA, the eighth person to serve in that role.

Barrs will oversee approximately 1,100 federal employees in his new role.

Barrs was nominated for the role by the Trump Administration in March 2025 on the heels of the departure of Acting Administrator Adrienne Camire, who stepped down two weeks after her nomination was announced.

Barrs brings extensive law enforcement experience to his role as FMCSA Administrator. He was a deputy with the Madison County Sheriffs Office for 10 years before moving on to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Office of Motor Carrier Compliance in 2001. He joined the Florida Highway Patrol in 2011, and retired as Chief in 2020. He spent five years in the private sector working for HNTB Corporation, an infrastructure solutions company. He also served on the American Trucking Associations (ATA) Law Enforcement Advisory Board and as a member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

“The Alliance is looking forward to working with FMCSA Administrator Barrs and the FMCSA team to continue to strengthen our partnership, share expertise and enhance safety initiatives with the goal of to reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles,” said Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)  Executive Director Collin Mooney.

“OOIDA and professional truckers across America congratulate Derek Barrs on his confirmation to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. We look forward to working with him to advance the priorities of small-business truckers nationwide, such as combating freight fraud, rolling back unnecessary regulations, ensuring broker compliance with existing transparency laws, and closing loopholes to ensure that only the safest, most qualified drivers remain on the road. For months we have said Mr. Barrs is the right choice for this role, and his leadership will only strengthen the strong partnership truckers already have with Secretary Duffy and the team at USDOT to improve highway safety,” said Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer.

“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 American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris 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.”