Trucker safety has taken a back seat in the Trump administration, with the agency in charge of investigating potentially unsafe companies performing noticeably fewer enforcements of state and federal regulations.
The trucking industry faces a lot of problems in 2025, from a shortage of young drivers to the threat of automation on jobs. Regardless of the year, though, trucker safety is always meant to be a priority, particularly considering how dangerous these massive vehicles can be when not regulated properly.
Unfortunately, the new administration has been asleep at the wheel, allowing bad actors to go unpunished, even after a serious crash.
FMCSA Enforcement Down 60%
According to a report from the Washington Post, the Trump administration has been quite lax when it comes to protecting truckers on the road, with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) performing 60% fewer enforcement actions from Inauguration day to February.
Even worse, the new administration seems to be barely investigating the safety of truckers at all compared to the previous administration. In 2024, the Biden administration’s federal investigators completed 17 investigations per month. In January and February of 2025, no such investigations have been recorded.
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Despite those numbers, the Transportation Department insists that it “has made great progress in closing investigations over the last 60 days.”
Why the Trump Administration Has Halted Investigations
Probing trucking companies that don’t prioritize trucker safety seems like a no-brainer, so why is the new administration halting these investigations?
According to Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, who spoke with the Washington Post, the agency is halting investigations in hopes of restoring “due process and transparency to ensure truck operators receive a fair shake and enforcement actions remain lawful, reasonable, and consistent with Administration policy.”
Despite the investigations being halted, Duffy also noted that safety remains a top priority.
How These Investigations Protect Truckers
In the past, these investigations looked into potentially unsafe trucking companies, and allowed regulators to get them off the road when they’re found to be “unsatisfactory” in their duties to protect their drivers. Now, that is no longer the case.
“The inability to use those tools is a really big deal. It creates an incredibly unsafe environment on the roads and I would argue is an abdication of their fundamental mission.” – Zach Cahalan, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition
With 800,000 truckers on the road in the US, ensuring that the “worst-of-the-worst companies” are not allowed to operate after serious crashes is one of the best ways to promote trucker health and safety.
