Reports & Testimonies

The U.S. Postal Service has been on our High Risk List since 2009 due to ongoing financial woes. To help address its financial condition, and improve service, USPS developed a 10-year strategic plan that touches on all parts of its operations. USPS is implementing its ambitious plan through more than 100 ongoing projects. We reviewed USPS implementation policies to see how well they incorporated GAO...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration aims to reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths involving large trucks and buses. To that end, FMCSA collects complaints against companies that operate these vehicles. The complaints can be related to safety—e.g., speeding or reckless driving—or to problems like unfair business practices. FMCSA reviews these complaints, but its guidance is not clear. Specifically, FMCSA guidance doesn't define key terms or...

Traffic can be a major pain. But state and local agencies—large and small, all across the country—are using technology to try to ease congestion on freeways and arterial roads to get people where they are going faster and with fewer crashes. We looked at some "intelligent transportation systems" that can, for example, automatically time traffic lights to move more vehicles through limited lanes or improve...

A power outage can significantly disrupt an airport's operations. One 2017 outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport led to about 1,200 cancelled flights and cost an airline around $50 million. Many of the nation's airports are enhancing their ability to withstand and rapidly recover from power disruptions. They're improving their electrical infrastructure, including installing backup generators or solar panels. Some airports are also considering installing...

The National Transportation Safety Board investigates and reports on the probable causes of transportation accidents and issues recommendations to improve safety. NTSB reports having about the same number of employees as it had 20 years ago. But the transportation sector has experienced tremendous growth and technological advancement in that time. While NTSB has taken steps to improve its management and operations, it needs to do...

The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. State and local agencies play a key role in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles—such as by investing in electric vehicle infrastructure that could reduce emissions. However, some of these agencies face challenges, including: Lacking readily available emissions data or staff with the right subject matter expertise Trouble quantifying...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Transit Security Grant Program is designed to help public transit agencies protect people and critical infrastructure from terrorism. Public transit agencies apply to FEMA for security improvement grants. In its "Notice of Funding Opportunity," FEMA disclosed its process for reviewing and scoring applications. But we found that FEMA didn't always follow that process, favoring some lower-scoring applications in 2015-2021. This...

In December 2021, the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order calling for most federal vehicle acquisitions to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. This Q&A discusses the progress agencies have made toward meeting this requirement. Most of the 30 affected agencies have started preparing their workforces and set annual goals for installing charging equipment and acquiring vehicles. This fiscal year, 26 agencies set a target to...

Driving while impaired by alcohol, medications, or drugs remains a persistent safety issue. State and local agencies collect information on impaired drivers—including arrest reports, fingerprints, and the results of criminal proceedings—and report it in state databases. In turn, states report this information, largely through automated processes, to the FBI, which enables criminal justice agencies to identify repeat offenders nationwide. However, some states have reported problems...

The Department of Transportation provides grants to state, local, and tribal governments to support travel and tourism—which is vital to the U.S. economy. In 2019, travel and tourism in the U.S. generated $2 trillion and supported 9.9 million jobs. Travel and tourism is a relatively new responsibility for Transportation, but it hasn't created a strategic plan with clearly defined goals and strategies to achieve them...

When the Department of Transportation funded construction of the U.S. highway network decades ago, some highways cut through neighborhoods—disconnecting communities. Now some cities are either removing highways or building structures called "caps" over certain sections of highway to reuse the land for community and economic development. In Feb. 2023, Transportation awarded funds to 45 projects through a new pilot program to reconnect communities. But the...

The demand for commercial airline travel rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic, heightening the need for pilots and mechanics. But while the number of pilots has grown in recent years, there may not be enough of them to meet airlines' needs in the future. There also may not be enough mechanics to maintain airplanes. To make aviation careers more attractive, airlines and maintenance facilities are offering...

To reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions, the White House issued a "Grand Challenge" that aims to increase the production of sustainable jet fuel to 3 billion gallons per year by 2030. Its goal is also to produce enough fuel to meet 100% of commercial jet fuel demand by 2050. Currently, this fuel is used at two large airports, but accounts for less than 0.1% of...

Each year, we make more than 1,000 recommendations to help the federal government save money, address issues on our High Risk List , and significantly improve government operations. This letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation outlines 20 open recommendations that it should prioritize. For example, in January 2023, we recommended that DOT develop a comprehensive strategy to safely integrate drones into the national airspace...

The Department of Transportation has established cybersecurity roles and responsibilities for officials that manage cybersecurity at agencies within the department. DOT's Chief Information Officer regularly communicates with staff about cyber threats, and provides cybersecurity tools and technical assistance. However, we found that DOT could improve how it implements cybersecurity policies. For example, DOT reviewed component agency cybersecurity programs for agencies within the department, but didn't...

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft connect passengers with drivers via mobile apps. Most ridesharing drivers use their personal vehicles. All passenger vehicles can be subject to recalls—when automakers notify car owners that certain repairs are needed for safety. Most drivers aren't legally required to fix recalled cars, and ridesharing passengers don't know the recall status of their rides. About 16% of ridesharing vehicles...

When demand for air travel dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic , commercial airlines took steps to cut costs, such as suspending hiring and reducing staff. The industry has largely recovered, but cancellations and delays have persisted—affecting millions of passengers. Generally, cancellations and delays in late 2021 were due to factors that were within an airline's control, such as airplane maintenance or lack of crew. The...

The COVID-19 pandemic caused congestion of cargo containers at U.S. maritime ports. Many ports struggled to unload large cargo ships in a timely manner, which delayed the delivery of goods. To help deliver goods more efficiently, freight stakeholders, such as port authorities and railroads, build inland facilities where they transfer cargo containers between trains and trucks. The Department of Transportation's Freight and Land Use Handbook...

USPS is replacing its fleet of 200,000 delivery vehicles. Its new vehicles will include features like air bags, collision sensors, and an electric vehicle option. USPS analyzed different factors, like fuel costs, to determine what proportion of gas and electric vehicles to purchase. In March 2022, USPS used a gas price of $2.71 in its analysis when actual gas prices were higher—affecting the decision to...