The U.S. Senate in a strict party-line 51-47 vote Tuesday night confirmed Derek Barrs, the former Flagler County school board member, administrator of the federal Transportation Department’s Motor Carrier Safety Administration, seven months after President Trump nominated Barrs to the post.
The vote followed a cloture vote that cleared the way for confirmation without debate after Democrats since before the August break had refused to approve dozens of Trump nominees by mere voice votes–as had been the practice previously, complaining of the poor quality of nominees. Barrs’s confirmation process had seen similar party-line splits in committee.
Barrs ran for a Flagler County School Board seat last November and lost to Janie Ruddy by a few hundred votes, only to be appointed to the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the seat Sally Hunt resigned. Barrs resigned the seat last month.
Barrs’s close ties to the industry his agency is intended to regulate was reflected in the immediate congratulations from industry leaders.
“Mr. Barrs’ confirmation was long overdue,” American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said in a statement, “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.”
The Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the lead federal agency regulating commercial vehicles, including long-haul trucks. Barrs held a similar position with the Florida Highway Patrol previously and continued to work closely in the industry even after his appointment to the School Board. He’d been an active member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), serving as FHP’s lead agency representative within the Alliance and chair of CVSA’s Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee.
After retiring from law enforcement, Barrs continued to serve in CVSA leadership as vice president then president of its associate (industry) members. The alliance celebrated his confirmation Tuesday.
“We are pleased to officially welcome Mr. Barrs to the role of FMCSA administrator, a position that the Alliance works closely with to advance our joint goal of reducing crashes on our roadways,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney.
“CVSA and FMCSA maintain a strong collaborative relationship built on the strength and importance of enforcing, standardizing and improving commercial motor vehicle safety,” said Mooney. “State and federal government officials, the transportation safety law enforcement community, professional drivers and motor carriers will continue to work together to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also gushed: “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 OOIDA President Todd Spencer in a statement.
Barrs will lead some 1,100 employees across the country. At least that was the number of employees before the president’s spree of firing employees across federal agencies, and before the government shutdown. Barrs, a Flagler Beach resident, said he intends to keep his property locally–likely a wise move–and travel back and forth frequently.
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