U.S. DOT outlines FY 2023 budget

The U.S. Department of Transportation released its fiscal year 2023 budget proposal this week with a focus on clean transportation and job creation.

With the inclusion of the additional $37 billion in guaranteed advanced appropriations provided under the bipartisan infrastructure law, the department’s total budget for FY 2023 will be $142 billion.

“The investments in the president’s budget make traveling safer, easier, cleaner, and more affordable for the American people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release. “From roads, tunnels and bridges, to airport and port improvements, electric vehicle chargers, safe bike lanes, and more, we are building a first-rate transportation system for all Americans.”

In terms of the trucking industry, some of the highlights:

• Roads and bridges. To modernize, repair, and improve the safety and efficiency of the nation’s network of roads and bridges, the DOT budget provides $68.9 billion for the Federal-aid Highway program, a $19.8 billion increase from the 2021 enacted level.
• Highway safety. The budget provides more than $2.5 billion for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an $857 million increase above the 2021 enacted level.
• Reducing bottlenecks. The DOT budget provides support for transportation projects that reduce commute times, improve safety, reduce freight bottlenecks, better connect communities, and reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Investments include $4 billion, $3 billion above the 2021 enacted level, for National Infrastructure Investments grant program to support transportation projects with significant benefits across multiple modes, and $1.64 billion for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program, which focuses on reducing freight and highway bottlenecks.

During a media call on Monday, FMCSA acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson outlined some of the budget’s focus on trucking and the supply chain.

“We have a few items within our budget in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that supports longer-term stabilization of the supply chain by … increasing the grant programs for removing barriers to obtaining CDL licenses,” Hutcheson said.

She also mentioned that the FMCSA is working to improve the supply chain and to improve driver retention through the creation of the Women of Trucking Advisory Board and the Truck Leasing Task Force. LL