Sean Duffy is officially the new head of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the Fox News host and former Republican U.S. representative from Wisconsin to serve as President Donald Trump's transportation secretary by 77-22 votes.
“Throughout his congressional service, Secretary Duffy was a steadfast supporter of hardworking truckers and the work that they do to deliver the nation’s freight," said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. "We look forward to building on our partnership with Secretary Duffy in the years ahead to modernize our infrastructure and increase the resiliency of our supply chain.”
Duffy will lead DOT’s 57,000 employees and 13 agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He will direct investment of $233.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He will also serve as the president’s principal adviser on transportation.
Duffy's first act as the nation's 20th transportation secretary was enacting a memorandum to rescind passenger and light-duty vehicle fuel economy standards. The memorandum suggests that existing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards are impractical and directs NHTSA to review and revise its CAFE standards.
“We are already hard at work executing the President's vision to usher in a golden age of transportation by taking immediate action to remove government overreach and lower costs for hardworking Americans," Duffy said shortly after being sworn in. "The memorandum signed today specifically reduces the burdensome and overly restrictive fuel standards that have needlessly driven up the cost of a car in order to push a radical Green New Deal agenda."
Duffy’s stances on transportation issues
With little prior experience in transportation management, Duffy first outlined how he would tackle DOT issues during his hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation earlier this month.
See also: Senate hearing: How DOT’s next leader will manage motor carriers
Senators’ questions did not focus on how Duffy’s DOT would manage motor carriers but touched on relevant topics for fleet managers, including autonomous vehicle regulations and highway funding.
Here are key takeaways from the transportation secretary’s Senate hearing:
- Duffy promised to expedite infrastructure projects and quicken environmental permitting.
- The secretary said that electric vehicles should contribute to the Highway Trust Fund, perhaps through tolling or mile-driven fees.
- He championed clear federal regulations for autonomous vehicles to foster innovation.
- He resolved to reduce distracted driving while still respecting citizens’ privacy.
Duffy’s management of DOT will likely follow Trump administration priorities, including reducing the number of new regulations.
See also: How federal agencies will regulate trucking this year
Industry leaders welcome new DOT leader
ATA and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association both congratulated Duffy on the confirmation and expressed interest in working with the new DOT head. Both industry organizations were quick to congratulate him on his nomination in November.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 small-business truckers we represent congratulate Secretary Sean Duffy on his confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation,” said Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA. “We look forward to continue working with him in advancing the priorities of small-business truckers across America, including expanding truck parking, fighting freight fraud, and rolling back burdensome, unnecessary regulations.”
The National Association of Truck Stop Owners also welcomed the new DOT head.
“NATSO congratulates Mr. Sean Duffy on his confirmation as secretary of transportation and looks forward to working with him on a broad spectrum of issues, including the need for long-term, sustainable highway funding and policies that promote prosperity for businesses that thrive because of the Interstate Highway System," NATSO said in a statement.
