Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson went before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Wednesday, taking the first step toward potential confirmation as the agency's first full-time boss in almost three years.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appointed Hutcheson Deputy Administrator in late January following the departure of Meera Joshi. As deputy administrator, Hutcheson also serves as the Acting Administrator, and President Biden nominated her for the role of Administrator in April. FMCSA hasn't had a full-time administrator since Ray Martinez, who stepped down from the post in October 2019. The job has since been held by Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck, Joshi and Hutcheson, each as acting administrator.
Hutcheson steps into FMCSA at a time where transportation is enjoying heightened public awareness, and she pledged to continue shining "a spotlight" on the trucking industry.
"Now, more than ever, Americans are acutely tuned into how our goods get to our homes – from the flour for the bread we eat, the clothes we wear, the beds we sleep in – we all have a better understanding that it probably came on a truck," she said. "People, in this case, drivers, are the most important part of the industry. It is a difficult job, and men and women have been working long hours to literally keep our economy rolling in the face of unprecedented challenges."
Hutcheson, whose pending confirmation has already received support from the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Truckload Carriers Association and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), made clear in her testimony Wednesday that safety would be among her highest priorities, calling the opportunity to lead FMCSA "an honor... in carrying out our life-saving mission."
[Related: Traffic deaths reach 16-year high, NHTSA estimates]
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last month estimated that 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percentage increase in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
