Miss. Official Tapped for STB

The reshaping of the Surface Transportation Board is continuing with the nomination of the Mississippi transportation commissioner to a three-year term.

If confirmed by the Senate, Wayne Burkes, 69, will fill the vacancy created by the Dec. 31 departure of Gus Owen, the board’s vice chairman, who did not seek reappointment to a second term.

“Wayne is a good friend of the trucking industry. He’s a free thinker, he’s fair and he believes in the free enterprise system,” said Dean Cotten, president of the Mississippi Trucking Association, who said he is a personal friend of Mr. Burkes.

The Association of American Railroads “will be supportive of Mr. Burkes,” said a spokesman at that organization.

Ed Emmett, president of the National Industrial Transportation League, said he was not familiar with Mr. Burkes of Clinton, Miss.

“I assume he comes in with an open mind. I look forward to working with him and reminding him that railroads exist to serve customers,” he said.

In an interview last week, Mr. Burkes said he thinks his decade of experience on the state transportation commission has prepared him to handle the railroad and occasional trucking issues coming before the Surface Transportation Board.

The board hasn’t been his only career endeavor. He served 14 years in the state Legislature — four in the House and 10 in the Senate. The Air Force veteran also served as head of the Mississippi Air National Guard before retiring as a major general in 1989.

For the full story, see the Jan. 18 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.