Revolving Doors at FMCSA

It’s happened again. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) just hasn’t been able to keep anybody in the top job for very long! Just two weeks after President Trump appointed her Acting FMCSA Administrator, Adrienne Camire has left the agency, joining a lengthy list of acting, interim and temporary appointees that didn’t stay to fulfill the role.

The good news is that President Trump wasted no time in nominating Derek Barrs, former Chief of the Florida Highway, whom I have known for two decades. The U.S. Senate will have to confirm him, but he is a respected, ethical man well-qualified to guide FMCSA on a path of balancing commercial vehicle safety enforcement with ensuring that regulations are fair and cost-effective.

When I began actively representing truckers in the early 1990’s, trucking issues were handled by the Office of Motor Carriers, part of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), until FMCSA was chartered on January 1, 2000. The first confirmed FMCSA Administrator was Joe Clapp, a true trucker who started out as director of safety for Ryder Tank Lines and ended his career as President and CEO of Roadway Express. Joe held the post for just 15 months, succeeded by President George W. Bush’s nominee Annette Sandberg, former Chief of the Washington State Patrol. Ms. Sandberg was a good FMCSA administrator who focused the agency’s efforts on reducing truck-involved crashes.

Now you are probably asking “Why should I care who gets confirmed as the FMCSA Administrator?” From ICSA’s perspective representing its members on legal and regulatory matters, having an established “in-charge” administrator is one factor in how we approach proposed regulations. With more than 5000 employees - unelected bureaucrats – a fully confirmed, full-time administrator is charged by the president with implementing reforms and guiding policy to ensure that the regulatory requirements motor carriers must meet are fair, balanced and cost-effective. Every employee knows that “acting or interim” appointees essentially have no leverage to get things done.

ICSA looks forward to working with Derek Barrs once he is confirmed by the Senate.