Markey and Cantwell Call Out Critical Gaps in Fatal Accident Data Involving Large Trucks and Buses

ProPublica/WBUR investigation found FMCSA undercounting bus and large truck crashes, injuries and fatalities, jeopardizing its mission to protect the safety of Americans and take action against unsafe companies

FMCSA enforcement actions against carriers down 65% under Trump

Washington (July 30, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, sent a letter to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Derek Barrs requesting information on the agency's tracking of large truck and bus crashes following a ProPublica/WBUR investigative report that crash data is not being properly received and recorded. This lack of accurate data makes it difficult for FMCSA to appropriately sanction companies that put the public at risk.

"According to the most recent data available, nearly 5,000 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks and buses in 2024," wrote the senators. "The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) uses information from these crashes to identify specific truck and bus companies for targeted enforcement, which can range from a warning letter to being placed out-of-service. On June 8, 2026, ProPublica and WBUR reported their investigation found that FMCSA is missing critical crash data for a company that operates school buses, making it impossible for the agency to accurately identify and target high-risk motor carriers like these."

The ProPublica/WBUR investigation centered on an April 2025 school bus accident in Boston that killed a kindergartner after he was dropped off on the wrong side of the street. The driver was hired and trained by transnational bus company Transdev, and the investigation found that 42 fatal crashes involving Transdev over the past 10 years were missing from FMCSA records. ProPublica and WBUR also found that FMCSA's own instructions to law enforcement about the attribution of a crash to a particular company was left to the discretion of the individual police officer, directly contributing to highly variable and unreliable records.

"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," continued the senators.

In addition to the impacts of the lack of good data, the senators also highlighted the overall lack of enforcement actions taken under the Trump administration.

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

The text of the letter can be found HERE.

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