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

Cantwell Calls 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; FMCSA enforcement actions against carriers down 65% under Trump; FMCSA data may be missing crashes in WA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Edward Markey (D-MA) 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.

FMCSA data includes two recent fatal crashes involving large buses in Washington state:

• October 2024 in Tacoma: 32-year-old woman Brittanee Parker was run over by a school bus full of elementary-school children. The driver drove off. Harlow's School Bus Service, a privately-owned interstate carrier that works in five states, operates the service. The driver had four previous driving violations in King County and had a Commercial Driver's License at the time, but they had previously been cited for speeding and driving without insurance.
• July 2024 in Lacey: An Intercity Transit bus and a car collided in a roundabout. While initial articles reported only injuries, the final FMCSA data recorded a fatality at this crash.

The Senators requested information on crashes that may not be in FMCSA's database, including those involving Transdev.

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 today's letter can be found below and HERE.

Dear Administrator Barrs,

According to the most recent data available, nearly 5,000 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks and buses in 2024, including 67 in the state of Washington and 20 in the state of Massachusetts. 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. For example, in April 2025, a Boston Public Schools bus driver who was hired and trained by the multinational company Transdev, ran over and killed a kindergartener after dropping him off on the wrong side of the street. ProPublica and WBUR identified this as one of 42 fatal crashes involving Transdev that occurred in the last 10 years that was missing from FMCSA's 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.

More specifically, in some instances, FMCSA's database listed Transdev crashes under the names of the government agency that hired Transdev or the name of a company Transdev acquired. Reportedly, FMCSA's instructions to law enforcement officers completing crash investigations do not clarify which company should be listed, but instead instruct the officer to "determine which entity 'controls' or 'directs' the bus." As a result, whether each crash was attributed to Transdev depended on how the individual law enforcement officer completing the crash form interpreted those instructions, leading to highly variable and unreliable records.

Without accurate and complete data, it is impossible for FMCSA to properly target enforcement on unsafe companies, because the agency lacks the critical data needed to conclude they are unsafe. According to FMCSA, Transdev has been involved in 187 crashes in the last 24 months, seven of which have been fatal. And yet, FMCSA has not targeted Transdev for any enforcement actions in this time period, and the carrier's safety rating is marked as "Satisfactory."

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

Accordingly, to better understand how FMCSA is addressing limitations of its crash data and keeping the traveling public safe by targeting high-risk motor carriers for enforcement, please provide the following documents and information no later than August 12, 2026.

1. Description of FMSCA's mechanisms to monitor the safety performance of commercial motor carriers operating school buses or otherwise transporting children or students, including for intrastate operations;
2. Documents sufficient to demonstrate how FMCSA works with NHTSA or other DOT offices to monitor and ensure the accuracy of safety records of all motor carriers transporting students-including intrastate school bus operators;
3. All FMCSA or other DOT guidance provided to state law enforcement on the processes for recording the name of the motor carrier involved in a crash, including for intrastate motor carriers;
4. Documents sufficient to demonstrate FMCSA's internal processes to verify the accuracy and completeness of state law enforcement records of motor carrier crashes, including for intrastate motor carriers;
5. A list of all inspections and crashes involving Transdev-operated vehicles, including those in which Transdev or its subsidiaries provides contracted services, such as for school districts or transit agencies;
6. All documents sufficient to demonstrate why FMCSA's database did not capture the 42 crashes involving Transdev that ProPublica and WBUR reported;
7. Documents sufficient to demonstrate why the number of FMCSA closed enforcement cases declined in fiscal year 2025;
8. A list and description of any changes FMCSA has made to its processes or thresholds for pursuing enforcement actions against high-risk motor carriers from January 20, 2025, to present; and
9. The number of FMCSA staff that were responsible for analyzing inspection and crash data to identify high-risk carriers in calendar year (CY) 2024, CY 2025, and January 2026 to present, respectively.

We appreciate your prompt response to this request, and continued collaboration to improve safety on our roads.

Sincerely,