FY 2011 MCSAP New Entrant Funding

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)?s Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) New Entrant grant program provides financial assistance to State and local governments , including the District of Columbia, to reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The MCSAP strives to achieve this goal through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs. Investing grant monies in appropriate CMV safety programs increases the likelihood that safety defects, driver deficiencies, and unsafe motor carriers practices are detected and corrected before they become contributing factors to crashes. Beginning in August, 2005, FMCSA established the New Entrant Safety Assurance program requiring all new motor carriers (private and for-hire) domiciled in the United States and Canada and operating in interstate commerce to apply for registration as a new entrant. After a new entrant motor carrier satisfies all applicable pre-operational requirements, it will be subject to the new entrant safety monitoring procedures for a period of 18 months. During this 18 month period: ? The new entrant?s roadside safety performance will be closely monitored to ensure the new entrant has basic safety management controls that are operating effectively. ? A safety audit will be conducted on the new entrant, once it has been in interstate operation for at least 90 days to have sufficient records to allow the agency to evaluate the adequacy of its basic safety management controls. ? In order to maintain its registration, the new entrant motor carrier must demonstrate that it has adequate safety management controls in place that function effectively to ensure compliance with applicable safety requirement. A portion of the MSCAP funds appropriated for fiscal year (FY) 2011 will be dedicated for safety audits of new entrant motor carriers under the new entrant safety assurance program. In accordance with 49 USC 31144(g)(1), the new entrant safety assurance program requires that a new entrant carrier undergo a safety audit within 18 months after receiving a U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) number and commencing interstate operations. Applications for the New Entrant grant program must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 P.M., Eastern Time (ET), on Friday, October 15, 2010.