Truck Safety Enforcement Has Dramatically Slowed Since January 2025

A recent article from the Washington Post revealed that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has dramatically slowed the pace of enforcement actions after President Trump took office in January.

According to the Post article, enforcement actions by the FMCSA dropped nearly 60 percent from January 20 until the end of February. Only 157 cases were adjudicated during this time, compared to the 382 cases during the same period in 2024. The Washington Post found a backlog of stalled cases, including almost 70 cases where investigators were looking to shut down allegedly dangerous trucking companies.

A document obtained by the Washington Post revealed that the U.S. Transportation Department’s legal office led to the pause in enforcement cases.

The article says that many in the trucking industry have complained for years that the FMCSA treats them unfairly and that the government agency uses “flawed methods” to assess safety risks. However, safety advocates disagree and say a less aggressive approach can put motorists at risk.

The Importance of the FMCSA Safety Ratings in Truck Accidents

The FMCSA’s safety rating system is one of its most important safety tools. When investigating a trucking accident, the FMCSA will rate the carrier’s safety as satisfactory, conditional, or unsatisfactory. If the company receives an unsatisfactory rating, it can be banned from operating.

Several factors are used to develop a trucking company’s safety rating, including its crash rate and history of violating FMCSA regulations.

Red flags can include risks such as:

• Driver fatigue
• Poorly maintained vehicles
• Danger driving habits including ignoring Hours of Service regulations, distracted driving, speeding, etc.

According to the Washington Post, federal regulators completed on average 17 investigations per month which resulting in companies receiving the “unsatisfactory” rating and getting taken off the road. However, according to the agency’s data, the figure was zero in January and February.

Truck Accident Statistics in the U.S.

Each year, about 130,000 people are injured in truck accidents across the United States. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, over 4,700 people died in truck accidents in 2022, a 51% increase over the past 13 years.

The majority of truck accident victims were in other vehicles. DOT numbers show that truck occupants accounted for 4% of fatal truck accidents in 2022 — the rest were those in passenger vehicles.

According to the FMCSA’s Large Truck Causation Study, speeding was the primary cause of accidents for both large truck drivers and drivers of all vehicles. For large truck drivers, the second most common cause was inattention (cell phone, eating, lost in thought), whereas for drivers of other vehicles, it was impairment (fatigue, alcohol, illness, etc.). Another 5% of truck accidents are attributed to aggressive driving.

A Truck Accident Attorney Can Help With a Truck Crash

The dramatic slowdown in FMCSA enforcement actions under the Trump administration represents a critical turning point for highway safety in America. While the trucking industry has long complained about what they perceive as unfair treatment and flawed safety assessment methods, the data paints a sobering picture of the potential consequences of reduced oversight.

With thousands of lives lost each year in truck-related accidents and billions in economic costs, the balance between regulatory relief for the industry and protection for the public remains delicate. Safety advocates warn that allowing trucking companies with questionable safety records to continue operating without proper scrutiny could reverse the recent positive trends in accident reduction.

As this policy shift unfolds, the true measure of its impact will be found not in regulatory statistics but in real-world safety outcomes on America’s highways. For families who have lost loved ones in truck accidents and for the millions who share the road with commercial vehicles daily, the stakes could not be higher.

The trucking industry, safety advocates, and our truck accident lawyers will be watching closely to see whether this new approach to enforcement will lead to innovation and improved voluntary compliance, or whether it will result in more preventable tragedies on our nation’s roads.

If you were involved in a truck accident, Munley Law is here for you. Contact our board-certified truck accident team today for free consultation.

_{Source: “Truck safety enforcement plummets under Trump, data shows,” The Washington Post}