Nomination hearings kick off next week for two nominees to President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet that, if confirmed by a Republican-led Senate, would lead departments whose decisions have major sway over trucking.
The confirmation hearing for New York Representative Lee Zeldin, Trump's pick to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is set for Thursday. American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear last week sent a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to express support, and lauding Zeldin's collaborative approach and "commonsense mindset."
“America’s truckers deserve an EPA leader who will work productively with industry to set federal emissions standards that are achievable and do not risk disrupting our supply chains,” Spear wrote. “Unfortunately, the current EPA failed to meet those thresholds and instead consistently conceded its federal responsibilities to the California Air Resources Board, creating a patchwork of state mandates and timelines for emissions reduction and forced electrification of heavy-duty trucking. We believe that under Rep. Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA can restore common sense to environmental policies, providing a national roadmap that is both ambitious and achievable.”
Following the announcement of being tapped to lead EPA, Zeldin posted to social media that he was "looking forward to getting straight to work as part of President Trump's Cabinet to unleash U.S. energy dominance, make America the AI capital of the world, bring American auto jobs back home, and so much more," and he pledged in an interview with Fox News Fox News that he would prioritize efforts to "roll back regulations" that he sees impeding American business.
Sean Duffy, the former Wisconsin representative who is up for appointment to Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is set for a confirmation hearing Wednesday. Like Zeldin, Duffy also has ATA support, and Todd Spencer, president & CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), penned a letter backing him.
"Mr. Duffy’s previous support for small-business truckers indicates to us that he will bring the right perspective to the role and work to ensure that DOT’s actions reflect the priorities of America’s professional drivers," he wrote. "During his time as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Duffy demonstrated his interest in addressing regulatory burdens affecting small-business truckers. He signed a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expressing his support for an OOIDA petition that would have provided relief to small-business truckers from the controversial Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate. This was a common-sense petition that would have addressed the most burdensome regulation ever issued for the trucking industry. With this request, Mr. Duffy recognized that regulations should not be one-size-fits-all, and more importantly, that Congress and federal regulators should provide relief to small businesses when regulations have significant costs with little to no benefits. We believe this is the appropriate regulatory approach for the Secretary and DOT."
If confirmed, Duffy would inherit a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that has churned through seven administrators since 2019.
