Ferro: FMCSA Succession Plan to Occur Soon
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration in the coming days will announce new leadership at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency’s outgoing administrator told reporters Aug. 14.
FMCSA Chief Anne Ferro, who will take over as president and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators on Aug. 25, said she will remain administrator through next week. Before she begins her new job, a transition plan will be unveiled, she said.
TIMELINE: Look back at Ferro's tenure
“The Department [of Transportation] and the White House will let everybody know what the succession plan is with a message to the internal community here before it reaches out to the public, but it’ll be in all due time, and near time,” Ferro said at a media event at DOT headquarters. “So I’m administrator for now and will be, and a successor will be named in that timeframe.”
She said her advice to whomever takes over the agency is: “Staying engaged with our leadership team; staying engaged with our workforce; staying engaged with our state partners who really leverage the outcome—they’re the boots on the ground that get this job done. And listen, continue transparency, listen to the stakeholders, listen to industry, and above all stay mindful why this agency was created, which is to protect the public.”
Ferro, the longest-serving FMCSA chief, took over as the top safety regulator for commercial buses and trucks in 2009. Before that, she led the Maryland Motor Truck Association. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx praised Ferro’s tenure at FMCSA, specifically for shutting down ”more than 100 dangerous bus companies” last year and removing unsafe freight operators from the highways.
Bill Bronrott, the agency’s deputy administrator, is the highest-ranking official after Ferro. Bronrott joined FMCSA in 2010, and during that time, he has sought to improve the safety of motorists, according to the agency. A longtime transportation safety advocate, Bronrott was elected to the Maryland General Assembly before coming to FMCSA.
