Joshi confirmation as FMCSA administrator advances to full Senate

Meera Joshi took another step toward becoming the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s next permanent administrator.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee advanced Joshi’s nomination through a 22-6 roll call vote. Joshi, who has served as the agency’s acting administrator since January, awaits final confirmation by the full Senate. That final step is expected to happen in the next couple of weeks.

Joshi, a former chairperson and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, was nominated for the permanent role by President Joe Biden in April. A confirmation hearing was held in September. Joshi used much of her time at the hearing to discuss driver compensation.

FMCSA has not had a permanent administrator since Ray Martinez left the post in October 2019. Since then, the agency has been led by Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck, and Joshi as acting administrators.

Joshi is expected to become FMCSA’s seventh permanent administrator since the agency was established in 2000. Previous administrators were Joseph Clapp, Annette Sandberg, John H. Hill, Anne Ferro, Scott Darling, and Martinez.

NHTSA nomination

Biden announced on Oct. 19 the nomination of Steven Cliff to be the next administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Cliff has served as NHTSA’s acting administrator since February. After earning a doctorate in chemistry in 1998, he worked for about 10 years as a research professor at the University of California Davis. In 2008, he joined the staff of the California Air Resources Board and then was appointed as the California Department of Transportation’s assistant director of sustainability in 2014. Cliff returned to CARB in 2016 as senior adviser. He later served as CARB’s deputy executive officer. LL