Senate Panel Schedules Hearing With FMCSA Nominee Ray Martinez
President Donald Trump’s choice for the top job at the federal trucking regulatory agency will tell senators Oct. 31 why they should confirm him.
Ray Martinez, chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and nominee to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee.
Chairman of the committee, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), said the nominee had the qualifications to be “an outstanding leader” at FMCSA.
Thune
“As the Senate committee I chair moves forward with consideration of his nomination, I’m looking forward to hearing more about his plans to work with truckers to continue improving highway safety,” Thune said in a statement to Transport Topics on Oct. 19.
If confirmed, Martinez said he would work to achieve the smooth integration of self-driving technologies, as well as expand partnerships with private sector stakeholders, and the industry.
“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, in response to questions from the committee.
“I have experience in leading large public agencies and agree that accountability is critically important,” he noted.
American Trucking Associations supports his nomination. FMCSA currently is managed by acting Administrator Daphne Jefferson.
