Ferro leaving FMCSA to lead motor vehicle administrators

   Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration head Anne Ferro, who has run the organization since 2009, has been named the president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
   Ferro will report to her new position August 25. She replaces Neil Schuster, who retired in March after running the association since 2007.  
   “It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve in President Obama’s administration with the vital mission of saving lives on America’s roadways,” Ferro said in a statement. “The opportunity to become AAMVA’s president and CEO is another personal dream come true, and I am thrilled to begin working alongside the chief motor vehicle and enforcement officials who deliver safety, service and security to drivers and vehicle owners across North America.”
   The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators has been looking for a new president and CEO since April. Before joining the FMCSA, Ferro worked as president and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association; from 1992 to 2003, she served as the motor vehicle associate administrator for the State of Maryland.  
   “Anne Ferro’s extensive leadership experience, stellar record of advancing motor vehicle safety and enthusiasm for public service make her the ideal choice to lead AAMVA into the future,” Jennifer Cohan, AAMVA’s board chair, said in a statement. “Anne is a former motor vehicle administrator herself, and she brings to the position a keen understanding of the top issues on our agenda and what it will require to accomplish them.”
   Statements from around the industry praised Ferro’s industry involvement during her tenure at the agency.
   Bill Graves, president of the American Trucking Associations, called Ferro a “passionate advocate” for the FMCSA, in a statement. At the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, President and CEO Jim Johnston said Ferro is “well known for having unprecedented personal outreach and engagement with truckers in all the years that we have worked with the agency.”
   Last month, the OOIDA sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx asking for new leadership at the FMCSA. The letter, penned by Johnston, was borne from a June 3 blog post by Ferro. Johnston saw that the posting took the view that drivers should be seen “not as professionals, but as accidents waiting to happen.”
   “OOIDA’s Board of Directors, made up predominantly of men and women who spend their days on the highway driving a truck, has concluded that the FMCSA can no longer perform its regulatory and enforcement duties impartially, and we have thus lost confidence in Administrator Ferro’s ability to conduct her responsibilities (which go far beyond simply regulating and enforcing truck safety rules and regulations) effectively,” he wrote in the letter.
   On Thursday, members of the OOIDA filed a suit against the FMCSA claiming that the agency is illegally sharing driver screening results with potential employers.