Derek Barrs
Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Derek D. Barrs is a Florida native. He earned an undergraduate degree from Flagler College. He began his career in law enforcement and then focused on commercial motor vehicle safety at all government levels.
Barrs served as a Deputy Sheriff in Madison County, Florida, and as a Florida State Trooper. He retired after serving as chief of the Florida Highway Patrol. He became Associate Vice President for Strategic Mobility Solutions. served on the American Trucking Association’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board and a leader in the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance. He also served as chair of the Enforcement and Industry Modernization Committee.
Barrs was appointed to the Flagler County School Board by the Florida governor before being nominated by President Donald Trump as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. He was confirmed by the Senate and was sworn into office in October 2025.
Barrs has a son and a daughter.
In the News…
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Derek Barrs addressed the American Trucking Associations’ Mid-Year Management Session this month, advocating for improvements in safety standards. He highlighted the important role carriers have in strengthening safety and identifying bad actors.
Administrator Barrs stressed the shared mission between his agency and the trucking industry, citing the reality of collisions and the need to remove unsafe drivers and carriers from the nation’s highways. “This isn’t about targeting,” the administrator said. “This is about safety.”
The FMCSA administrator explained his agency’s efforts to address fraud in driver training and licensing. Administrator Barrs said earlier this year about noncompliant training providers, “If a school isn’t using the right vehicles or if their instructors aren’t qualified, they have no business training the next generation of truckers or school bus drivers.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Administrator Barrs today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Derek Barrs, Administrator
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20590
