Where DOT's Money Comes From Where DOT's Money Comes From DOT wants to use Federal transportation funds more effectively via innovative financing mechanisms that would stretch those funds, supplementing them with public and private investments to ensure the transportation infrastructure needs of the 21st century are met.
Trust funds derive revenue from special fees, such as motor fuel taxes and airline ticket taxes.
More than two-thirds of the Department's funding is derived from trust funds and other fees. The two largest trust funds, the Highway Trust Fund and the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, account for most of DOT's funding and support the Department's programs for maintaining and improving transportation infrastructure. General revenue funds are obtained from the general taxes of the United States. This has furthered states' abilities to transfer funds among programs and transportation modes and to set priorities based on what would best meet the needs of their communities rather than what kind of funding might be available. First, continue making safety DOT's number-one priority.