Section 4101 of SAFETEA-LU authorizes the Motor Carrier Safety Grants funding for FY 2005 through FY 2009 to enable recipients to carry out activities and projects that improve CMV safety and compliance with CMV regulations. Funding is available for projects that are national in scope, increase public awareness and education, demonstrate new technologies and reduce the number and rate of CMV accidents. Eligible recipients are State agencies, local governments, and organizations representing government agencies that use and train qualified officers and employees in coordination with State motor vehicle safety agencies.

For grants awarded for public education activities, the Federal share will be 100 percent. For all High Priority grants other than those awarded in support of public education activities, the FMCSA will provide reimbursement for not more than 80 percent of all eligible costs, and recipients will be required to provide a 20 percent match. FMCSA may reserve High Priority funding exclusively for innovative traffic enforcement projects, with particular emphasis on work zone enforcement and rural road safety. Also, FMCSA may reserve funding for an innovative traffic enforcement initiative known as "Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks" or TACT. TACT provides a research-based safety model that can be replicated by States when conducting a high-visibility traffic enforcement program to promote safe driving behaviors among car and truck drivers. The objective of this program is to reduce the number of commercial truck and bus related crashes, fatalities and injuries resulting from improper operation of motor vehicles and aggressive driving behavior. More information regarding TACT can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/tact/abouttact.htm.

Applications for High Priority grants must be submitted electronically through grants.gov.