WASHINGTON — With President-elect Donald Trump quickly filling positions for his new term, members of the trucking industry are making their voices known on the appointment of Sean Duffy as U.S. Transportation Secretary.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
AASHTO said in a statement that the association congratulates Sean Duffy on his nomination to be U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
“As a former member of Congress, Sean Duffy understands how to navigate the political landscape in Washington to get things done, something that we will need in the next leader of the U.S. Department of Transportation as we begin the process of reauthorizing the federal surface transportation programs,” said Jim Tymon, AASHTO executive director. “Every state department of transportation in the country is currently hard at work improving safety and quality of life in their communities one project at a time. This is made possible through the federal-state partnership that has existed for over 100 years. We look forward to working with the Secretary-designee as well as the Trump administration to ensure the continued delivery of a safe, efficient, multimodal transportation system for all.”
American Trucking Associations (ATA)
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he is nominating former Congressman Sean Duffy to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, ATA President and CEO Chris Spear released the following statement:
“During his time in the House, Sean Duffy was focused on issues facing our industry and supported pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain and our ability to keep the nation’s goods moving safely and efficiently, Spear said. “Roads and bridges are our shop floor. We know Congressman Duffy understands that and the opportunity now before us to improve our transportation network by reducing congestion, investing in truck parking, enhancing highway safety and supporting the development of innovative technologies. He is an exceptional choice to lead the Department of Transportation, and we congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to working with him in this role.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OODIA)
OOIDA was quick to congratulate Duffy on his nomination.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent congratulate Representative Sean Duffy on his nomination as Secretary of Transportation,” said Todd Spear, OOIDA president. “We look forward to working with him in advancing the priorities of small business truckers across America, including expanding truck parking, fighting freight fraud, and rolling back unnecessary regulations. We encourage a swift confirmation in the Senate and look forward to working with the new administration.”
OOIDA also noted that when in Congress, Representative Duffy supported an effort by OOIDA to allow small business truckers with a strong safety record an exemption from the onerous Electronic Logging Device mandate issued by the USDOT.
US Congress: House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Ranking member Rick Larsen also issued a statement.
“This Congress, the T&I Committee has advanced major bipartisan legislation to keep people and the economy moving, including the FAA Reauthorization Act, the Water Resources Development Act and the Coast Guard Authorization Act,” Larsen said. “Next Congress, I look forward to working with my T&I colleagues to build on this bipartisan work by passing a surface transportation bill—which Congress has consistently done for the past 25 years—that will create good-paying jobs and build a cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation system across the country. Transportation policy has a long bipartisan history, and I look forward to continuing to maintain the tradition under Former Representative Sean Duffy’s leadership and working together to pass the next surface transportation authorization, creating more jobs, if he is confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
