FHWA and PHMSA Nominations, New Autonomous Vehicle Guidelines

U.S. DOT Modal Nominations
The White House announced Friday its intention to nominate two new modal administrators:

For the Federal Highway Administration, Paul Trombino. Trombino is president of McClure Engineering Company, former president of AASHTO, vice-chair of the TRB Executive Committee, and head of the Iowa Department of Transportation from 2011 to 2016.
For the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Howard “Skip” Elliott, a 40-year railroad veteran with an extensive background in hazmat rail transport.

Jonathan Adkins is already acquainted with Trombino and GHSA is pleased with his nomination. Both Trombino and Elliott will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The White House has yet to propose a NHTSA Administrator.

Autonomous Vehicles
Tomorrow, U.S. DOT Secretary Elaine Chao is scheduled to unveil the Administration’s new autonomous vehicle guidelines at the MCity vehicle testing facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The new guidance reflects an update of the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy released last year by the Obama Administration. At a September 6 preview for GHSA, NHTSA shared that the updated document will have a new title and a new structure, will re-emphasize its voluntary nature, and will clarify federal and state roles.

Expect to learn more about the new guidance and latest congressional activity on self-driving vehicles at GHSA’s Annual Meeting next week.

Russ Martin
Director of Government Relations
Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA)
444 N. Capitol Street, NW Suite 722
Washington, DC 20001-1534
202-789-0942, ext. 180
rmartin@ghsa.org
@russ_martin8