Leadership under Donald Trump’s new Department of Transportation is taking shape.
Following Adrienne Camire’s appointment to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Trump administration announced additional major personnel developments. The administration nominated FHWA’s next leader and an autonomous vehicle expert to serve as a DOT assistant, while the Senate confirmed the new deputy secretary of transportation.
See also: EPA aims to roll back emissions regulations
FHWA administrator nominated
Last week, Trump nominated Sean McMaster to be administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
McMaster held various Republican staff positions in Arizona and Washington, D.C. He worked in multiple DOT support roles during Trump’s first term.
If confirmed by the Senate, McMaster will lead FHWA in managing the National Highway System.
Deputy secretary of transportation confirmed
The Senate also confirmed Steven Bradbury as the next deputy secretary of transportation last week.
Bradbury is a longtime legal expert. He provided legal counsel and assistance under George Bush’s administration and Trump’s first administration. Bradbury temporarily served as the acting secretary of transportation for the last week of Trump’s first term.
In his confirmed role, Bradbury will help lead DOT as the top adviser and assistant to Duffy.
The American Trucking Associations commended Bradbury’s confirmation.
“Steven Bradbury’s previous experience at DOT during President Trump's first term in office makes him uniquely qualified for this important role,” Chris Spear, ATA’s president and CEO, said.
Autonomous vehicle pro nominated for DOT assistant
Trump also nominated Seval Oz, an AV business leader since 2011, to serve as an assistant secretary of transportation.
Oz previously led several major groups in AV business development: She has worked for Google’s Self Driving Cars Program, led Continental AG’s intelligent transportation division, launched an AV AI startup, and served on the board of directors for AV tech company MicroVision.
The nomination is another autonomous vehicle enthusiast to join the ranks of the Trump administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed clear interest in embracing AV regulations and announced that AV legal expert Peter Simshauser would serve as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's chief legal counsel.
