U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg named Robin Hutcheson as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new deputy administrator. Hutcheson replaces Meera Joshi, who departed this role in January to serve as the deputy mayor for operations for New York City.
As deputy administrator, Hutcheson will serve as the FMCSA’s acting administrator, overseeing more than 500,000 interstate carriers and 4.7 million commercial driver's license (CDL) holders across the nation. FMCSA and its 1,100 employees have overseen significant changes for drivers and carriers over the past five years.
Since January 2021, Hutcheson has served as the deputy assistant secretary for Safety Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Biden-Harris Administration. In this role, she led safety policy for the department, and coordinated other critical efforts, including COVID-19 response and recovery, according to a DOT press release. She was instrumental in the development of the bipartisan infrastructure law, especially the new Safe Streets and Roads for All program, DOT added.
Prior to her appointment 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 her appointment in Minneapolis, Hutcheson served as the Transportation Director for Salt Lake City, Utah, working to improve all modes of transportation. She also has served as a consultant specializing in transportation and transit and has worked throughout the western U.S., in London and France, and for the European Union Commission on Sustainability, according to DOT.
Hutcheson also served for seven years on the Board of Directors for the National Association of City Transportation Officials, most recently as its president.
Back in January 2021, Hutcheson left her position as president of the board in order to join the Biden-Harris administration as deputy assistant secretary for Safety Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“We congratulate Deputy Administrator Hutcheson on this new role, and we look forward to working together with her on our shared goal of highway safety," American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said following DOT's announcement. "If she is formally nominated to serve as administrator, we will support her nomination.
"She assumes this position at a critical time, as the pandemic, natural disasters, workforce shortages, and other factors continue to challenge the freight economy in ways never seen before," Spear added. "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 and FMCSA work to implement the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will strengthen highway safety standards while helping our industry meet the nation’s growing freight demands."
Spear also thanked outgoing Deputy Administrator Joshi for "her leadership, service, and many contributions throughout her tenure.”
This article originally appeared on FleetOwner.com.
