High Priority (HP) Grant Toolkit Materials

Talking Points

General Talking Points 

• We are proud to be a recipient of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) High Priority (HP) Grant for fiscal year (FY) 2024. 
• This grant helps us be an active partner to achieve FMCSA’s mission of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses on our roadways. 
• The grant aligns with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy to achieve the goal of zero fatalities on our roadways. 
  • The number of fatalities on our nation’s roadways involving commercial motor vehicles decreased by an estimated eight percent from 2022 to 2023. 
  • Increased funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help us continue to move the needle in the right direction.
  • Across the country, these grants will fund projects that support truck drivers and improve safety 
• This year, FMCSA awarded a nearly $150 million in grants. 
• We are excited to receive (insert amount) in grant funding. This funding will help us (insert details about project).

HP Grant Background Info

• The High Priority (HP) Grant is an annual grant given out by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
• Generally, HP Grants fund initiatives to: 
  • Improve commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety, enforcement, and outreach efforts.
  • Target unsafe driving through highly visible traffic enforcement.
  • Prioritize prevention and detection of human trafficking. 
  • Implement innovative technological solutions and other related efforts. 
  • Support research efforts impacting CMV safety.
  • Detect and immobilize unsafe large trucks and passenger carrying vehicles operating on our nation’s roadways (new in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). 
• Funding is awarded in two categories: commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety-related activities and Innovative Technology Deployment. 
  • CMV safety-related activities can include increasing public awareness and education on CMV safety, targeting unsafe driving in high-risk crash corridors, demonstrating new technologies to improve CMV safety, safety data improvement, and other projects that help meet FMCSA’s mission of improving CMV safety nationwide. 
  • The Innovative Technology Deployment Program provides financial assistance to advance technological capabilities and promote the deployment of intelligent transportation system applications for CMV operations. 
• Grant recipients include states, local governments, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions across the country. 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 

• The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law in November 2021, provides a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure. 
• Although High Priority (HP) Grants are not new, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law increased the amount of grant funding that FMCSA is able to award. 
  • The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law increases total HP Grant funding by $211.4 million over five years. 
• The law also made several changes to the HP Grant program:
  • Increases emphasis on the prevention and detection of human trafficking as a priority. 
  • Allows FMCSA to now provide HP Grants to States to immobilize or impound passenger carrying CMVs that are determined to be unsafe or fail inspection.