LaHood to Leave DOT

This story appears in the Feb. 4 print edition of Transport Topics.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who earned praise for focusing on distracted driving and criticism from trucking for appearing to promote biking and high-speed rail over freight issues, announced last week he was stepping down.

LaHood announced his decision, sent via e-mail to Department of Transportation employees on Jan. 29, just days after he told a news service reporter he’d be “sticking around for a while” during a celebration marking President Obama’s second-term inauguration.

LaHood did not specify a departure date, saying only that he would stay on “until my successor is confirmed to ensure a smooth transition” for DOT and the “important work” still being done.

The e-mail from LaHood, who was the lone Republican in the Cabinet, included his common refrain, “This is the best job I’ve ever had.”

Before becoming transportation secretary in 2009, he spent 14 years in Congress representing Peoria, Ill., his hometown.

Published reports last week speculated on replacements, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm; former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman.

LaHood’s announcement also sparked tributes, starting with President Obama.

“Years ago, we were drawn together by a shared belief that those of us in public service owe an allegiance, not to party or faction, but to the people we were elected to represent,” Obama said. “And every American who travels by air, rail or highway can thank Ray for his commitment to making our entire transportation system safer and stronger.”

Obama also lauded LaHood for his fight to create jobs and grow the economy by rebuilding roads, bridges and transit systems.

Industry observers also praised LaHood’s commitment to safety, especially his zeal to make distracted driving a national priority. Under LaHood, in 2010 commercial drivers were banned from texting while driving, and in 2011, the ban was extended to handheld phones.

American Trucking Associations spokesman Sean McNally said: “ATA appreciates Secretary LaHood’s service to the country as transportation secretary, particularly in elevating the highway safety discussion on distracted driving.”

“The department’s main mission is really safety, and Ray’s done a great job relating in all modes, and especially as it relates to distracted driving,” said Norman Mineta, transportation secretary under President George W. Bush. “Phones, GPS and texting” were things previous secretaries didn’t have to address.

Also under LaHood, agencies within DOT created the first fuel-economy standards for heavy- and medium-duty trucks and the Compliance, Safety, Accountability ratings program.

Highway stakeholders said that LaHood was solidly behind improving the nation’s infrastructure. Amid steep job losses during the recession, LaHood’s first task was to distribute billions of dollars for infrastructure projects, a key component in Obama’s economic stimulus program.

“He also helped states create thousands of jobs through investments in highways, transit and high-speed rail,” said John Horsley, former executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

“Secretary LaHood has been a strong advocate for the case that investing in infrastructure is one of the most effective ways to boost broader economic activity,” added Brian Turmail, a spokesman for Associated General Contractors of America. “We have not always agreed with him, but we will miss his energy, his enthusiasm and his passion for transportation.”

While he supported infrastructure improvements, LaHood rejected calls for an increase in federal fuel taxes, despite a dwindling Highway Trust Fund to pay for new projects.

In a 2011 speech, LaHood said that “raising the gas tax is not an option” and that he was promoting tolling and public-private partnerships instead.

ATA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups have called for higher fuel taxes to finance the trust fund.

LaHood’s promotion of transportation modes other than trucks and highways also put him at odds with the trucking industry and other highway advocates.

In early 2011, after writing in his blog that building bike paths may create more jobs than building highways, ATA and others pointed out that the “vast majority of Americans” use cars, not bikes, and said money was too scarce to spend on bike paths.

The administration’s emphasis on high-speed passenger rail further widened the gulf. Funding for high-speed rail met with opposition in Congress, and some Republican governors refused to accept money for new projects.

Despite those criticisms, Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Transportation Foundation, a Washington think tank, said LaHood deserves more credit than he’s received for last year’s transportation funding law, which contained several provisions backed by trucking, including a national freight network and a mandate for electronic logging devices on all trucks.

More credit should go to the secretary, Schank said, “not because Ray LaHood wrote the bill, but because his DOT put together a proposal . . . and then went and talked to people on the Hill and helped shape that bill.”

The Republican-controlled House was unable to produce a long-term bill, so the Senate’s two-year, $105 billion legislation was passed.

It remained unclear last week what LaHood’s departing meant for the modal administrators at DOT, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Agency spokesman Duane DeBruyne said that he could only reiterate FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro’s earlier statement that she “would be honored to continue serving” if that is the wish of LaHood’s replacement.