Carlson nominated to lead NHTSA

President Joe Biden has formally nominated Ann Carlson to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Biden announced Carlson’s nomination, along with several others, in a news release earlier this week.

Carlson has served NHTSA as the acting administrator since September. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s previous administrator, left the agency to become executive officer for the California Air Resources Board.

Before leading the agency, Carlson served as NHTSA’s chief counsel. She also taught environmental law at the UCLA School of Law and also founded the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA.

Although Carlson has been nominated, she must still face the confirmation process before becoming NHTSA’s permanent administrator.

Underride guards

One NHTSA-related issue that will be of interest to truckers is a forthcoming notice regarding side underride guards.

In January, NHTSA sent a notice asking for public feedback on the effectiveness of the guards on trailers and semitrailers to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.

“This rulemaking would consider requirements for side underride guards on trailers and semitrailers to mitigate underride crashes into the side of these vehicles,” the rule’s summary stated. “This rulemaking would respond, in part, to a Sept. 12, 2013, petition for rulemaking from Ms. (Marianne) Karth and the Truck Safety Coalition to start studies and rulemakings on side guards and front override guards on trucks.”

The 2021 infrastructure law included a provision requiring the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete research on side underride guards “to better understand the overall effectiveness.” The report would be tasked with assessing the feasibility, benefits, costs and any effects on intermodal equipment, freight mobility and freight capacity associated with installing side underride guards on newly manufactured trailers and semitrailers with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more.

The advance notice of proposed rulemaking will be a step toward fulfilling this requirement. It also is expected that the comments will help inform the agency whether or not to move forward with a rulemaking to mandate side guards.

OOIDA argues that a mandate would be impractical and costly. LL