WASHINGTON — Robin Hutcheson, the deputy assistant secretary for safety policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), will become the new deputy administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon. Hutcheson will also serve as the acting administrator for the FMCSA.
Hutcheson has helped oversee safety policies at the DOT since January 2021, according to a DOT news release.
“She was instrumental in the development of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, especially the new Safe Streets and Roads for All program,” the news release stated.
Prior to being appointed to the Biden-Harris Administration, Hutcheson was the director of public works for the City of Minneapolis, where she oversaw 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.
Prior to her appointment in Minneapolis, Hutcheson served as the transportation director for Salt Lake City, Utah. She also has served as a consultant specializing in transportation and transit and has worked throughout the western United States, in London and France and for the European Union Commission on Sustainability, the news release stated.
Hutcheson served for seven years on the board of directors for the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), most recently serving as its president.
“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. If she is formally nominated to serve as administrator, we will support her nomination,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear.
“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. 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.”
The former FMCSA deputy administrator, Meera Joshi, departed this role in January to serve as the Deputy Mayor for Operations for New York City.
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