Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025:
Former FMCSA deputy administrator joins autonomous tech firm
Earl Adams Jr., a former chief counsel and deputy administrator at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has been appointed by autonomous driving software developer Plus as the company’s Vice President of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs.
Earl Adams Jr.
"After nearly a decade on our autonomous journey, we are on the brink of commercializing autonomous trucks,” said David Liu, CEO and co-founder, Plus. “Earl's unmatched experience in transportation policy and his ability to connect diverse stakeholder groups will be instrumental to the next phase of our growth. I am grateful for Wiley's invaluable contributions to our leadership in this field and wish him the best success in his new venture."
While at FMCSA, Adams led the agency's team drafting safety rules of autonomous commercial vehicles and served as its liaison to the Office of the Secretary's autonomous working group, Plus noted. Adams was also in private law practice, most recently as a partner in the Transportation Regulatory practice at Hogan Lovells, where he led the firm's autonomous vehicle working group, prior to joining Plus.
"Plus has built a winning position as the autonomy partner of choice to global commercial vehicles makers like Traton Group, Hyundai and Iveco,” Adams said. “I am excited to join Plus and work closely with partners, regulators, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth path to safely launch autonomous trucks and make our roads safer for everyone."
Adams’ move continues somewhat of a trend of former FMCSA leaders leaving their government psots to join the private sector with autonomous trucking companies. In addition to Adams and Deck, former FMCSA Acting Administrator Jim Mullen joined TuSimple as the company’s Chief Legal and Risk Officer for about two years.
[Related: Former FMCSA boss joins TuSimple]
FTR hosting free 2025 freight outlook webinar
FTR will host a free State of Freight webinar later this week looking ahead at the transportation market for 2025.
Specifically, the webinar will focus on “Transportation Challenges in a Shifting Political Landscape.”
The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 9, at 11 a.m. Eastern. The webinar is free, but registration is required to attend.
As the transportation landscape evolves amidst shifting political dynamics, staying informed is more critical than ever for decision makers, FTR noted.
The webinar will address:
- Truckload, rail, and intermodal rates: Understand trends impacting your bottom line
- Tariffs: Gain clarity on potential disruptions and opportunities
- Strategic forecasts: Prepare for market shifts influenced by the evolving political environment
XPO trailer mechanic named WIT Member of the Month
XPO trailer mechanic Alyssa Briggs was recently named the Women in Trucking Association's Member of the Month.Women in Trucking
Alyssa Briggs, a 24-year-old trailer mechanic at XPO (CCJ Top 250, No. 7) was named the Women in Trucking Association’s Member of the Month. Briggs has been a trailer mechanic at XPO for nearly four years.
Unsure of what she wanted to do when she grew up, Briggs decided to go to a vocational school where she was instructed to pick three course options. Her first choice was CNC machining, as her stepfather is a CNC machinist, and she had been considering following in his footsteps. Her second choice was welding, and her third choice was the diesel mechanic course.
She was accepted into her third choice – the diesel mechanic course. At first, she was scared because she knew nothing about anything mechanical and the closest she had come to working on a vehicle was watching her stepfather change oil in a car.
On the first day of school, she realized she was the only woman in her class, making her even more nervous, however, most of the men were quick to answer the questions she had and taught her a lot of useful information. As time went on, she grew to love mechanics and the more she learned, the more interested she became.
After graduation, Briggs wanted to become a professional mechanic but was terrified of applying for a job.
“I felt like I didn’t have a chance in this industry,” she said. “I wasn’t sure who would give a woman a chance, and it took a little more than a year of considering my options and a whole bunch of pep talks with my husband who finally convinced me to give it a try.”
Briggs began researching and came across XPO, which seemed like the perfect fit as the pay, benefits and time off stood out compared to the company’s competitors. The day after applying, she received a call to come in for an interview. During the interview, she still felt like she had no chance of getting hired but she was determined to give it her best.
“I remember asking the interviewer if the company had ever employed a woman mechanic and to my surprise, he responded with, ‘we actually have two other great women mechanics here.’ I couldn’t believe it and hearing that helped ease my nerves going into this field– I wasn’t alone,” she said.
Throughout her time at XPO, Briggs has been able to further her knowledge with hands-on experience. In November of last year, Briggs had the chance to put her skills to the test at the company’s annual MasterTech competition, which tests the professional skills and knowledge of XPO’s top technicians. To qualify for the competition, technicians must pass an entrance exam, interview and quality checks of their work. Next, the top 20 mechanics, eight truck mechanics, eight trailer mechanics and four forklift mechanics within the company are invited compete against each other in Orlando, Florida.
Briggs took first place in the competition, which consisted of 27 stations including electrical, preventative maintenance, brakes and tires. She is the first woman in history to win first place.
“This accomplishment will motivate me to become even better technician and will motivate other women to take chances and to just go for things in their career,” Briggs said. “I hope other women mechanics and women who are considering going into this field see this and know that we are just as capable in a male-dominated field.”
