U.S. Senators have serious concerns that FMCSA is ‘undercounting’ semi truck and bus crashes

This week, lawmakers demanded answers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regarding the agency’s reporting on large truck and bus crashes.

Fatal School Bus Crash Exposes “Critical Gaps” In FMCSA Records, Senators Say

In a July 29 letter addressed to FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Edward Markey suggested that the agency was “undercounting bus and large truck crashes, injuries and fatalities” based on a June 8 investigative report from ProPublica/WBUR.

The report centers on an April 2025 crash that took place in Boston. After being dropped off on the wrong side of the street, 5-year-old Lens Joseph was fatally struck by a Boston Public Schools bus. ProPublica identified the company Transdev as the bus contractor associated with the crash and said that the company was responsible for hiring and training the bus driver involved the fatal crash. The report indicated that Transdev was involved in at least 60 deadly crashes over the past decade, but that only 18 were listed in FMCSA databases.

The Senators said that the report raised red flags about FMCSA’s crash data.

“This raises serious concerns that FMCSA may be undercounting crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, and thus jeopardizing its mission to reduce such incidents and protect the safety of Americans,” the Senators said.

The Senators also called out FMCSA for leaving it up to local law enforcement to decide which company name is listed in crash investigation documentation:

“More specifically, in some instances, FMCSA’s database listed Transdev crashes under the names of the government agency that hired Transdev or the name of a company Transdev acquired. Reportedly, FMCSA’s instructions to law enforcement officers completing crash investigations do not clarify which company should be listed, but instead instruct the officer to “determine which entity ‘controls’ or ‘directs’ the bus.” As a result, whether each crash was attributed to Transdev depended on how the individual law enforcement officer completing the crash form interpreted those instructions, leading to highly variable and unreliable records.“

Senators Question FMCSA’s Ability To Take Action Against Unsafe Motor Carriers

Lawmakers pointed out that without accurate crash records, it is impossible for FMCSA to take action to root out unsafe carriers.

The Senators further allege that FMCSA enforcement actions have dramatically declined under the current Presidential Administration:

“More broadly, FMCSA enforcement actions have declined since President Trump took office. According to its own data, FMCSA completed approximately 1,400 enforcement cases against motor carriers in fiscal year 2025, compared to nearly 4,000 in fiscal year 2024—a 65 percent decrease.“

Lawmakers Demand Answers

The letter demands that FMCSA provide answers to the following questions no later than August 12, 2026:

1. Description of FMSCA’s mechanisms to monitor the safety performance of commercial motor carriers operating school buses or otherwise transporting children or students, including for intrastate operations; 
2. Documents sufficient to demonstrate how FMCSA works with NHTSA or other DOT offices to monitor and ensure the accuracy of safety records of all motor carriers transporting students—including intrastate school bus operators;
3. All FMCSA or other DOT guidance provided to state law enforcement on the processes for recording the name of the motor carrier involved in a crash, including for intrastate motor carriers;
4. Documents sufficient to demonstrate FMCSA’s internal processes to verify the accuracy and completeness of state law enforcement records of motor carrier crashes, including for intrastate motor carriers; 
5. A list of all inspections and crashes involving Transdev-operated vehicles, including those in which Transdev or its subsidiaries provides contracted services, such as for school districts or transit agencies;
6. All documents sufficient to demonstrate why FMCSA’s database did not capture the 42 crashes involving Transdev that ProPublica reported;
7. Documents sufficient to demonstrate why the number of FMCSA closed enforcement cases declined in fiscal year 2025;
8. A list and description of any changes FMCSA has made to its processes or thresholds for pursuing enforcement actions against high-risk motor carriers from January 20, 2025, to present; and
9. The number of FMCSA staff that were responsible for analyzing inspection and crash data to identify high-risk carriers in calendar year (CY) 2024, CY 2025, and January to present, respectively.