Ray Martinez Cites Top Industry Priorities if Confirmed for FMCSA Post
Ensuring the proper regulatory balance and smooth integration of self-driving technologies, and expanding partnerships with the private sector would be top priorities for the nominee to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, if confirmed.
Automated technologies offer the potential to enhance safety and operational efficiencies, explained Ray Martinez, President Donald Trump’s nominee, responding to questions from the Senate Commerce Committee.
“FMCSA must ensure appropriate, balanced regulation and seamless integration of any new and developing technologies into the existing highway safety landscape without hindering innovation,” Martinez said.
The nominee also expressed an interest in enhancing and expanding the agency’s partnerships with private sector stakeholders in the trucking and motorcoach sectors. Highway safety “requires extensive and continued cooperation” between transportation agencies and the private sector, Martinez indicated.
“Effective regulation and continued improvement of safety in this area can only be achieved by leveraging current, valid and verifiable data from all of these sources in order to identify areas of risk and focus enforcement efforts more efficiently on those identified areas,” he added.
Martinez met with key senators on Capitol Hill this week. The committee has yet to schedule a hearing to hear from him. The chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission would succeed acting Administrator Daphne Jefferson.
