Currently the PRF has over four hundred patrol posts in the most diverse Brazilian municipalities, providing a capillarity to the structure of the agency that few national institutions possess.

The entire hierarchy is based on the functions of supervision, which can be occupied by any police officer, for example a special agent may be supervisor of an inspector.

To eliminate this deficiency, the Federal Highway Police Department created the Alert System, where the owner can report a stolen vehicle via the Internet.

The theft victim enters his or her vehicle's license plate number and all PRF patrol posts will be immediately notified.

This Alert System was created by PRF members with informatics degrees, who formed a programs development center to facilitate and improve the interactivity between police officers and vehicle owners.

Now, not only PRF officers can view and print the BATs, but also vehicle owners, insurance companies, drivers, and victims.

As the number of police personnel on federal highways is small, PRF officers sought to outmatch criminal assailants in the event of a confrontation.

As the road is the main method of transport for merchandise, valuables, and people in Brazil, the PRF specializes in innumerable anti-crime activities, many times specific to the peculiarities of the region.

In other states, the PRF has an agreement with the Corpo de Bombeiros (firefighters) and provides aid services in conjunction with them.

Recently, by the Law 11,705 of 2008, the PRF remains in charge of supervising commercial establishments along rural federal roads with the objective of restricting the sale of alcoholic beverages, in order to reduce the number of accidents occurring as a result of excessive consumption.

In addition to technical knowledge, the officers perform exhaustive rescue training in diverse situations, including on the high seas.

The TV series O Vigilante Rodoviário (The Road Ranger) was about a patrolman and his dog, who patrolled the highways of Brazil in a 1952 Harley-Davidson motorcycle or a Simca Chambord sedan depending on the assignment; the show has become a part of Brazilian culture owing to it being the first action adventure drama shot on film, and also popularizing the PRF.

Amidst the second round of the 2022 Brazilian runoff election, the PRF made several vehicle approaches in northeast Brazil, region with particularly high number of left-wing voters.

It was alleged that this action was an attempt to retain citizens from getting to their voting locations, in support of current right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro.

The chief director Silvinei Vasques headed to Superior Electoral Court (STE) to testify on behalf of his administrative decisions.

[17] The approaches caused a big controversy in social media, aggravated by the high political polarization in Brazil.