Reagle Replaced as OMC Chief

Associate Federal Highway Administrator George Reagle (pictured) last week was transferred from his job as head of the Office of Motor Carriers, at least in part because he orchestrated a lobbying campaign against transferring the office to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Several other OMC officials were disciplined for their involvement in the lobbying effort and are going to be moved to other jobs within the Federal Highway Administration, sources said.

Mr. Reagle was replaced as OMC chief by Julie Anna Cirillo, who until last week was overseeing FHWA’s own reorganization.

Jill Hochman, director of motor carrier planning and cus-tomer liaison; Cynthia Elliot, chief of motor carrier policy, planning and customer liaison; and Clinton Magby, director of motor carrier field operations, also will be transferred out of their current jobs, sources said.

The long-rumored Reagle ouster was announced to OMC employees by FHWA Administrator Kenneth Wykle via e-mail Jan. 19, a week after Mr. Reagle returned to work from a three-week vacation.

According to Kenneth Mead, the Department of Transportation’s inspector general, a two-month investigation revealed OMC officials improperly encouraged state trucking industry officials to urge federal legislators to oppose the agency’s transfer.

"There were violations of specific rules and there was a clear manifestation of an improper relationship between senior officials and the trucking industry that they regulate," Mr. Mead wrote in a letter accompanying his report. "The actions of OMC’s current senior management foster at a minimum an appearance that OMC does not have the ‘arm’s length’ relationship called for between government safety regulators and the industry."

For the full story, see the Jan. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.