President Trump taps NJ transportation official to head FMCSA

Washington – President Donald Trump announced Sept. 26 that he plans to nominate Raymond Martinez as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Martinez has served as the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission chairman and chief administrator since 2010. Previously, he was commissioner of New York State’s Department of Motor Vehicles and chairman of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Martinez also worked in various roles in the Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations.

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear congratulated Martinez on his nomination in a Sept. 25 press release.

“Mr. Martinez is well-known to our industry from his work in New Jersey and New York and exudes the kind of professionalism, integrity and focus on safety that FMCSA needs,” Spear said in the release. “I … urge the Senate to quickly confirm him so we can begin working together on important highway safety issues.”

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance also expressed its support of Martinez’s nomination.

“With Mr. Martinez at the helm of FMCSA, we look forward to continuing our long-standing history of fostering a collaborative and cooperative relationship between CVSA and one of its federal government partners,” CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney said in a Sept. 28 press release.

Daphne Jefferson currently is FMCSA’s top official, serving as deputy administrator, a post she has held since February 2015.