FMCSA’s Basic Investigative Enforcement Training Academy Goes Virtual and Keeps Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety at the Forefront

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is helping keep the roadways safe, while also keeping its new trainees safe. FMCSA’s National Training Center has adapted its Basic Investigative Enforcement Training Academy to a virtual environment for new FMCSA safety investigators on the various investigative procedures. Since transitioning to a virtual environment in 2020 due to the pandemic, 41 students have passed through the academy. The National Training Center will continue to deliver the Academy virtually through 2022. The course maintains a high quality of training just as the in-person course does.

The 10-week program includes courses that cover driver inspections, vehicle inspections, and compliance reviews, which serve as a check on motor carriers meeting FMCSA’s safety and hazardous material regulations. Trainees also learn to conduct commercial motor vehicle (CMV) roadside inspections. Once the investigators graduate, they return to their respective division offices for additional field training, which is generally a one-year process.

FMCSA’s safety mission never stops, and neither does the training. Through the academy and their career, FMCSA safety Investigators are challenged to understand, identify, and resolve safety discrepancies associated with CMVs that present a danger to public safety. Visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/national-training-center to learn more about the Academy and other programs offered at FMCSA’s National Training Center.