President Joe Biden Wednesday formally nominated Robin Hutcheson to be the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appointed Hutcheson deputy administrator in late January following the departure of Meera Joshi. As deputy administrator, she also served as the acting administrator.
Hutcheson's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
Joshi last October was overwhelmingly confirmed to take on the role full-time by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. but had not yet been confirmed by the full Senate before leaving in January to serve as the deputy mayor for operations for New York City.
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said the organization supports her "swift confirmation by the Senate," citing her deep experience in transportation administration.
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"Her commitment to working with our industry to improve safety is unwavering," said Spear in a statement. "Her continued leadership comes at a critical time for the agency, as the pandemic, natural disasters, workforce shortages, and other factors continue to challenge the freight economy in ways never seen before.
"America’s trucking industry is the backbone of our economy, and we depend on partners in government who value data and stakeholder input to meet real-world needs and ensure the safe movement of freight across our nation’s highways. That’s particularly timely now, as DOT works to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will strengthen highway safety standards while helping our industry meet the nation’s growing freight demands.”
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.
Since January 2021, Hutcheson had served as the deputy assistant secretary for Safety Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Biden-Harris Administration.
Before being appointed to the Biden-Harris Administration, she was the director of public works for the City of Minneapolis overseeing a team of 1,100 people across nine divisions including drinking water, surface waters and sewers, solid waste and recycling, fleet management, and all transportation functions.
Before that, she served as the transportation director for Salt Lake City, working to improve all modes of transportation.
