Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Robin Hutcheson has resigned and will leave the department effective Jan. 26, the agency announced Friday.
Sue Lawless, FMCSA Executive Director and Chief Safety Officer, will serve as Acting Deputy Administrator and lead the agency.
Hutcheson had served administrator since September 2022 – the first full-time administrator in three years. She was appointed deputy administrator in January 2022 and became acting administrator when then-acting administrator Meera Joshi resigned to accept a post in the administration of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. FMCSA's top position has been fraught with turnover dating back to 2019. Ray Martinez stepped down in October that year and the job was then handed to a series of acting administrators before Hutcheson: Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck and Joshi.
[Related: Q&A with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FMCSA Admin Robin Hutcheson]
“It has been the most profound honor to serve in the Biden-Harris Administration, and I am grateful to President Biden for appointing me to these roles,” Hutcheson said. “I thank Secretary Buttigieg for his leadership and confidence and recognize the dedicated team of professionals at the Department of Transportation who work hand in hand with industry partners to serve the American people and keep our country moving forward.”
Prior being named FMCSA’s Deputy Administrator, Hutcheson served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Safety Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Biden-Harris Administration, leading safety policy for the department and coordinating other efforts like COVID-19 response and recovery.
Hutcheson's nomination and tenure had the support of trucking's major stakeholder groups, including the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).
"Administrator Hutcheson led FMCSA through a critical time as the pandemic, natural disasters, workforce shortages and supply chain disruptions challenged the freight economy in ways never seen before," ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said. "America’s trucking industry is the heartbeat of this nation, and we depend on partners in government like Administrator Hutcheson who value data and stakeholder input to meet real-world needs and ensure the safe movement of freight across our nation’s highways. We applaud her communication, transparency and commitment to ATA and our members, and we wish her well in her future endeavors.”
CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney via statement provided to CCJ extended his agency's appreciation to the outgoing-administrator "for her dedicated public service of promoting and advancing commercial motor vehicle safety on our roadways. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors and look forward to working with the new incoming leadership at FMCSA."
As FMCSA Administrator, Hutcheson focused on the safety of truck and bus drivers to improve safety outcomes and strengthen the supply chain, FMCSA said. During her tenure, FMCSA established the Women of Trucking Advisory Board, the Truck Leasing Task Force and more. The agency also began working toward changes to its Safety Measurement System and its system for determining a motor carrier’s safety fitness, among other things. The agency also restarted its pursuit of mandating speed limiters and automatic emergency braking systems on heavy-duty trucks.
