Anne Ferro Resignation
We’ve been hearing reports about the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and others asking for the resignation of FMCSA’s top trucking safety administrator. On Friday, it finally happened. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Anne Ferro will resign from her current position as the top safety admin next month. No date was announced but close friends appear to target the end of August. Ferro has spent the last 5 years as FMCSA’s top safety official, overlooking the nation’s regulatory of trucks and buses.
Anne Ferro was first appointed to the position by President Barrack Obama back in 2009. Ferro sent her staff a message that she will be resigning in August to accept a new position outside of the federal government. We know that Ferro has took a lot of heat recently, especially from the trucking industry and some of the industry’s biggest names in trucking.
Ferro was very grateful for the opportunity and she has contributed to improving safety across the board with trucks and in the bus industry. Although her approval with major trucking industry associations was dim at best, safety improvements have saved lives and a lot has been done in the past 5 years.
Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx spoke highly of Ferro, calling her a “True Leader” in all her 5 years of service. “Under Anne’s leadership, FMCSA has ushered in a new culture of safety into the commercial bus and trucking industries. She has made it more difficult for companies that jeopardize the public’s well-being to stay in business and easier for consumers to make informed choices when choosing a shipper or buying a bus ticket,” Foxx said in an email to his staff. ”It is a legacy we are proud to continue. In addition, Anne’s infectious enthusiasm for our work and our people has made DOT an even better place to work.”
Anne Ferro passionately expressed her appreciation for her staff and colleagues in an email. “I hope you are proud of the life-saving work you accomplish and look forward to tackling more tough challenges ahead,” Ferro said in an email to her colleagues. “I certainly am proud to have served as your administrator. You are professionals united in a single mission — to save lives — and I encourage you to continue to rely on each other’s strengths and redouble your energy toward that highest of goals.”
Although members of the American Trucking Association have not always seen eye to eye with Ferro’s choices over the year, ATA President and CEO Bill Graves released this statement. “In her time with FMCSA, Administrator Ferro was a passionate advocate for the agency. We wish her well in her new role at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and look forward to working with her on commercial driver licensing issues.”
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association did release a statement concerning the Anne Ferro’s resignation. “We would like to congratulate the administrator on her new position and wish her well as she leads the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. She is well known for having unprecedented personal outreach and engagement with truckers in all the years that we have worked with the agency.”
We may never know for sure if the pressure from OOIDA and other trucking associations forced the resignation of FMCSA’s top trucking administrator or not, but it appears it will become official at the end of August. Even if you didn’t favor Ferro’s view on trucking issues, you have to appreciate everything she has done for the trucking industry. The staff at Truckers Logic would like to personally thank Anne Ferro for all she’s done to make the industry safer. We all wish you the best in your new career path.
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/213383-dot-official-resigns-after-trucker-scheduling-flap
