Robin Hutcheson is resigning from her post as head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a U.S. Department of Transportation source confirmed to FreightWaves on Thursday.
Her last day at the agency will be Jan. 26. No reason was given as to why she is leaving.
Sue Lawless, FMCSA’s assistant administrator, will head the agency in an acting administrator role after Hutcheson’s departure. Lawless also serves as the agency’s executive director and chief safety officer.
In a statement released by FMCSA on Friday, Hutcheson said it has been a “profound honor” to serve under the Biden-Harris administration.
“I thank Secretary Buttigieg for his leadership and confidence and recognize the dedicated team of professionals at the Department of Transportation who work hand in hand with industry partners to serve the American people and keep our country moving forward.”
Hutcheson, who was confirmed in September 2022, was FMCSA’s seventh administrator since the agency was established in 2000.
Her predecessors — Jim Mullen, Wylie Deck and Meera Joshi — led the agency in acting roles since Ray Martinez resigned in 2019.
Hutcheson was criticized by lawmakers during a hearing on Capitol Hill last month for taking part in a fundraiser while a proposed regulation that would limit truck speeds was — and still is — pending. The fundraiser was allegedly sponsored by “labor unions and trial attorneys” that are supporters of the controversial rule.
Hutcheson denied that the credibility of the rulemaking was damaged, noting that “we take very seriously the fidelity of the process of rulemaking, and we don’t discuss the contents of the rule even as we’re engaging with our stakeholders.”
At a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday, FMCSA came under fire again — from the Transportation Intermediaries Association — for paying too much attention to non-safety issues such as private contracts between brokers and trucking companies.
Hutcheson previously served as deputy assistant secretary for safety policy for DOT under the Biden administration.
She led the development of the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which DOT unveiled in January 2022. She also helped secure $13 billion in additional funding for safety programs and initiatives included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021.
“As FMCSA Administrator, Hutcheson focused on the safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers to improve safety outcomes and strengthen the supply chain,” FMCSA noted regarding Hutcheson’s departure.
“She took numerous regulatory actions to enhance roadway safety, improve quality of life for drivers, leverage technology and innovation to improve safety, increase the impact of FMCSA grant dollars in communities across the country, and promote transparency across the industry.”
Sam
One has to wonder, given the state of our infrastructure, regulations affecting transportation, and the current state of road commerce, where is all the money allocated to these executive branch agencies really going? Would we be better off eliminating and defunding all of them, and letting the tort system sort it all out?
Troy
I would do that position with my experience as a professional driver. The only problem I for see is I couldn’t raise the money she did. Today’s government is not interested in experienced help only yes men and women. Buttigieg has had no experience in the trucking industry only in speeches and fundraising. Sad state were in
Richard Davis
Not a surprise. She knew nothing about the trucking industry, and probably never drove a truck. Why the Government doesn’t want to put someone in charge of the FMCSA who has driven a truck or knows what it takes to be a truck driver, they only know. But, it seems they don’t care about safety. It’s kinda hard to run or regulate the safety of something if you know nothing about that something. Put someone in charge of the safety of the trucking industry and the highways who has driven a truck, knows what it takes to be a driver, knows what the problems are, and knows what it is going to take to fix the problems.
Gary Holfstra
She was simply in way over her head. She was basically a political influencer promoted up through the ranks, getting more beyond her abilities the further she rose. The last few months she was unkempt, frizzy haired, dithering and totally ineffective. Watching that last congressional hearing was downright painful. The comparison between her and the other modal administrators was startling.
All miles matter
Ok so they silenced her! She was trying to end broker fraud and have more transparency! what a bunch of BS. Judging from the article, she was more worried about keeping trucking Alive over a speed regulation. Bravo to her!
Brent Allen Didge
It would appear that labor unions influence on FMCSA is a deep running river that should be dammed. The FMCSA needs to get more into the training issues of new drivers and there safety in the training facility as well as the attention of having electronic screens pulling there attention away from the windshield such as ELD’s and GPS devices that take them away from the very thing the should be watching the road and traffic
J8J7MX
If they enact something so stupid, they’ll cause a glitch in our economy that ultimately will set back the trucking industry for years to come. They’ll hire more undereducated drivers with absolutely no experience to fill that gap for a pay that is unsustainable. Most aren’t being paid fairly now
DB Transport
System is so broken and corrupt nobody knows how or where to start on fixing the problem.