Senate confirms Ferro as new FMCSA chief

The United States Senate has confirmed Anne Ferro as the new Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) of the Dept. of Transportation.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee had voted in October to forward her nomination to the full Senate with just one dissenting vote, cast by Se, Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

Ferro’s career has centered on service in state and local government, including seven years as Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administrator. However, she spent the last six years serving as president of the Maryland Motor Truck Assn.

Reacting to the confirmation, David Heller, director of safety & policy for the Truckload Carriers Assn., noted that Ferro’s confirmation “comes at the heels of FMCSA’s announcement to completely rewrite the current Hours-of-Service regulations” for truck drivers.