Senate Confirms Anne Ferro as Next FMCSA Administrator

This story appears in the Nov. 16 print edition of Transport Topics.

The Senate has unanimously confirmed Anne Ferro, the former head of the Maryland Motor Truck Association, to direct the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Ferro’s Nov. 5 confirmation to run the primary agency that regulates commercial trucking was praised by industry and law enforcement officials and opposed by a number of advocacy groups.

Ferro succeeds John Hill, who stepped down in January as the Bush administration ended; FMCSA’s chief safety officer, Rose McMurray, has led the agency on an interim basis.

Ferro becomes the agency’s fourth administrator.

She faces a myriad of inherited challenges, including reviewing and revising federal work rules for truck drivers; issuing a long-awaited final rule on electronic onboard recorders for trucks; implementing a ban on text messaging by commercial drivers; and launching a new safety rating program for all motor carriers.

Calling Ferro “highly qualified” owing in part to her having served as the head of Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration, Dave Osiecki, vice president of safety, security and operations for American Trucking Associations, said, the group was looking “forward to working with Ms. Ferro to advance ATA’s comprehensive highway safety agenda.”

Newly placed at the top of FMCSA’s agenda is a review and possible revision of the long-fought over hours-of-service rule.

Late last month, the Department of Transportation announced it had reached an agreement with opponents of the rule to take another look at it in lieu of continuing a third court challenge. Since 2003, federal courts have twice rejected FMCSA’s attempts to revise the rule.

Rod Nofziger, director of government affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said the group was “pleased” the Senate approved her nomination, adding that he was “optimistic that Ms. Ferro’s leadership at the agency will be a net positive for small-business truckers.”

Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Moving & Storage Association, praised Ferro, saying that as president of MMTA, “she has proven herself to be an effective advocate of responsible safety measures for commercial fleets on Maryland highways, and we are confident Anne will now bring this same approach to the national policy level.”

Law enforcement groups also praised Ferro’s confirmation.

“I have personal experience in working with Ms. Ferro in both positions she has held in the state of Maryland,” said Buzzy France, president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and member of the Maryland State Patrol. “She has an excellent understanding of how government, law enforcement and industry need to work together to solve problems and will be a great advocate for safety.”

After Ferro was nominated by President Obama in June, some advocacy groups and legislators questioned her qualifications and ties to the trucking industry.

A spokeswoman for Public Citizen said the group had no comment about Ferro’s confirmation, but just before the Senate approved her nomination, Public Citizen e-mailed supporters urging them to lobby senators to vote no.

The group called Ferro “the wrong choice” to head FMCSA, specifically questioning her defense of the hours-of-service rule as a state trucking executive in Maryland (click here for related story).

During her September confirmation hearing, Ferro’s ties to the industry were questioned, mostly by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) — a frequent and vocal critic of trucking — who said he was “concerned about [Ferro’s] ability to take the bold action” he said was necessary at “an agency in dire need of reform.”

In addition to approving Ferro, the Senate also confirmed Cynthia Quarterman to head the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

CVSA Interim Executive Director Steve Keppler praised Quarterman, saying she has “more than 20 years of experience in the transportation of hazardous materials by pipeline, and we are looking forward to working with her in helping address this critically important sector of our transportation system.”

Both Ferro and Quarterman will soon begin delving into issues of importance to trucking, with Ferro overseeing FMCSA’s regulatory agenda, including a proposed ban on texting, while Quarterman will direct PHMSA as the agency works on a so-called wetlines regulation governing tanker design for haulers of gasoline and other volatile liquids (click here for related story).