Senate committee to consider nomination of FMCSA’s Hutcheson

The Senate Commerce Committee will consider the nomination of Robin Hutcheson as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at a hearing next week.

Hutcheson, who is currently FMCSA’s acting administrator, will testify at the hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, June 8. In addition to Hutcheson, Michael Morgan and Sean Burton will be considered for roles in the Department of Commerce and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, respectively.

President Joe Biden nominated Hutcheson in April to be the agency’s next permanent administrator.

Hutcheson has served FMCSA in the acting administrator role since January.

She served as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s deputy assistant secretary for safety policy starting in January 2021.

Hutcheson took over FMCSA’s acting administrator role from Meera Joshi, who announced in December she was leaving the agency to become a deputy mayor for New York City.

Before joining the U.S. Department of Transportation, Hutcheson was the director of public works for the city of Minneapolis, overseeing a staff of 1,100 people across nine divisions, including drinking water, surface waters and sewers, solid waste and recycling, fleet management, and all transportation functions. She also has served as the transportation director for Salt Lake City and was on the board of directors for the National Association of City Transportation Officials for seven years.

Since joining FMCSA, Hutcheson has been active in the creation and implementation of the administration’s Trucking Action Plan. During a trip to the Mid-America Trucking Show in March, Hutcheson spoke about the plan and said that the administration felt the “urgency” to do something about the truck parking crisis.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been supportive of Hutcheson’s nomination.

“As FMCSA’s acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson has demonstrated a genuine appreciation for the work of our members and an eagerness to help address some of the issues that are most important to them,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in April. “We look forward to working with her as administrator to promote our shared goals of supporting the men and women who make their living behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle while improving highway safety for all road users. We encourage the Senate to approve Ms. Hutcheson’s nomination without delay.”

If Hutcheson is confirmed, she will become FMCSA’s first permanent administrator since Ray Martinez stepped down in October 2019.

Following Martinez’s departure, the agency has been led by acting Administrators Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck, Joshi and Hutcheson.

Cliff confirmed as NHTSA administrator

Last week, the Senate confirmed Steven Cliff’s appointment to be the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Cliff has served as deputy administrator for NHTSA since February 2021. He was formally nominated in October. LL