Sean Duffy
In a post to Truth Social, Trump said during his time in Congress, Duffy was “admired across the aisle,” adding that he “worked with Democrats to clear extensive Legislative hurdles to build the largest road and bridge project in Minnesota History,” an apparent reference to the St. Croix River Crossing between Wisconsin and Minnesota that opened in 2017.
If confirmed by the Senate, Trump said Duffy in his role as DOT Secretary “will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports.”
Trump added that Duffy “will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s infrastructure." Trump envisioned a "Golden Age of Travel," he added, to follow.
The American Trucking Associations lauded Duffy's Congressional record when it came to trucking issues during his time as a Representative.
“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," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "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 President Todd Spencer also congratulated Duffy for his nomination.
“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," Spencer said. "We encourage a swift confirmation in the Senate and look forward to working with the new administration.”
During his time in Congress, Duffy co-sponsored a number of trucking-related bills. A rundown of some of Duffy's trucking record in Congress, chronologically, is as follows:
- Cosponsor on the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2011, which would have allowed states to authorize heavier trucks to operate on interstate highways if certain conditions were met. The bill didn't make it past the committee level. He again cosponsored a version of this bill in the next Congress in 2013, which also stalled at the committee level.
- Cosponsored a bill in 2011 to amend federal hours-of-service regulations to expand exemptions for drivers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies during planting and harvest periods. The bill didn't make it past the committee level.
- Cosponsored the Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2013, which would have allowed motor carriers to use hair testing as a method for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing. The bill stalled in committee at the time. He again cosponsored this legislation in the next Congress in 2015, where it also stalled.
- Cosponsored the Safe, Flexible, and Efficient Trucking Act of 2015, which like the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act above, would have allowed for heavier trucks on interstates under certain conditions. The bill did not make it past committee.
- Cosponsored the Stopping EPA Overreach Act of 2015, which would have amended the Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride pollution from the scope of that Act.The bill declared that current law did not authorize or require the regulation of climate change or global warming and nullified certain proposed rules relating to greenhouse gas and carbon pollution emissions. The bill stalled at the committee level.
- Cosponsored the ELD Extension Act of 2017, which would have delayed the effective date of the electronic logging device mandate for an additional two years. The bill stalled at the committee level.
- Cosponsored the Waiving Hindrances to Economic Enterprise and Labor (WHEEL) Act, which would have amended the FAST Act to change the definition of a "covered driver" in relation to a commercial driver pilot program to include under-21 drivers beyond just those with a military background. This bill did not make it past committee, but when the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program was introduced, it allowed for non-military under-21 drivers to participate.
- Cosponsor of the DRIVE-Safe Act in 2018 and 2019, which directed DOT to issue regulations relating to an under-21 interstate apprentice program. Neither of these bills advanced but the general parameters of the bill were later included as a pilot program in the 2021 infrastructure bill.
- Cosponsor of the Safe Routes Act of 2019, which would have directed DOT to waive vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles. The bill did not advance.
Stabilizing FMCSA
Duffy will be challenged with bringing some stability to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and will be responsible for picking the eighth person to lead the agency in six years.
FMCSA's top position has been fraught with turnover dating back to 2019. Ray Martinez stepped down in October that year and the job was then handed to a series of acting administrators: Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck and Meera Joshi. President Biden-nominee Robin Hutcheson was confirmed in September 2022 as the first full-time administrator in three years, but her tenure lasted just more than a year before again being handled on an interim basis by Sue Lawless and, currently, Vinn White.
