Hutcheson formally named as FMCSA Administrator
A new leader is formally in place at the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), with the United States Senate recently formally confirming Robin Hutcheson as its seventh Administrator.
Hutcheson replaces Meera Joshi, who served as FMCSA Deputy and Acting Administrator. Joshi left FMCSA in January to take a role as Deputy Mayor of New York City.
In January, DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that Hutcheson was named as FMSCA Deputy Administrator and also serve as Acting Administrator. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safety Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she oversaw safety policy and coordinated safety efforts across multiple modes of transportation, including COVID response and recovery. Hutcheson also led the development of the first National Roadway Safety Strategy for the United States and helped secure $13B in additional funding for safety programs and initiatives included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
It stands to reason that Hutcheson is likely to follow Joshi’s lead, when it comes to taking steps to reduce deaths and injuries from large-truck crashes, through FMCSA’s new entrant program and expand the scope of motor carrier investigations to target more at-risk behavior by the nation’s 3.5 million long-haul truckers.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) lauded Hutcheson’s appointment.
“I want to congratulate Robin on her confirmation to this important role,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a statement. “In her time as Acting Administrator, Robin has been a true partner with our industry – working to confront a number of issues facing trucking. Whether it is addressing safety concerns, ongoing supply chain issues or workforce development, she has been open to engaging with our industry and we look forward to continuing our ongoing, candid dialogue about these challenges and to engaging with her and her agency to implement solutions that uphold safety and improve efficiency in trucking and across the supply chain.”
And Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) President and CEO Joni Casey said in a statement that IANA welcomes the news of Administrator Hutcheson’s confirmation by unanimous consent.
“The Association has developed a decades-long working relationship with the FMCSA, and we look forward to our continuing collaboration in the areas of safety, data-sharing and industry-compliance tools,” said Casey.
