[Freight Weekly] Trump’s DOT Nominee Presents His Case

🔊President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run his U.S. Transportation Department, Sean Duffy, pitched himself to lead all trucking, maritime, rail, and auto regulators.

Former Rep. Sean Duffy, a former Republican Congressman and a Fox News contributor, was named by Trump to be his Secretary of Transportation during his second term in the White House. NPR cheekily noted he appeared on MTV’s “The Real World” before entering politics and public service. He made his pitch to the U.S. Senate:

• Mr. Duffy appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee on Jan. 15, 2024, to pitch his nomination for Transportation Secretary. Though a former lawmaker, his resume and experiences with transportation policy issues are somewhat scant.

• Some freight industry trade news media, such as the pro-Trump Transport Topics outlet published by the American Trucking Associations, signaled to their readers that Duffy offered a “bold” vision for the role of secretary and he was benefiting from bipartisan support — at least from centrist Dems and the GOP.

• According to the nominee, he promised the committee, “Transportation impacts every aspect of life — from the efficiency and security of our ports to the ease of commuting to work, school, and church. Together with President Trump, this committee, and the entire DOT team, we will usher in a golden age of travel.”

• This is a bold promise. Duffy also voiced his support for the Jones Act, which would reform certain clean emissions and climate change-focused policies and end Biden-era rules on severe-weather resilience, rail safety, and emerging tech.

• One issue brought up during the confirmation hearing was whether Duffy would give amity to Elon Musk, the controversial billionaire owner of EV maker Tesla and mega-donor to Trump’s election bid. Elon Musk’s Tesla is currently under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an agency under the DOT, for the crashes involving Tesla’s driver-assistance AI systems.

• Other critics fear that Duffy’s efforts to instill Trump’s transportation policy could lead to a drop in accountability for the growing electric vehicle market, along with the implementation of a crash reporting requirement to the government that Musk and Tesla have openly opposed. Duffy added that he wouldn’t interfere, though.

• Duffy also backed several ongoing infrastructure programs and funding grants promised by the Biden-era bipartisan infrastructure overhaul. He appears to be pro-port employers despite his new boss endorsing the longshoremen unions.

• Duffy told the senators that he believes firms like Boeing need “tough love.”

• Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, and Duffy will replace outgoing Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg shortly after. It’s worth noting that Duffy’s resume wasn’t that concerning to Democrats, especially since Buttigieg was a tad short on experience in transportation policy when he ascended to the role under Biden.

Bottom line: It is encouraging that Duffy is receiving bipartisan support and that he offers a much more balanced personality than other Trump-backed nominations. These signals are additionally encouraging as a regulatory shake-up is expected in the next few weeks.

MORE: “Sean Duffy Receives Bipartisan Support for Top DOT Post” - Aviation International News

CONTEXT: Senate Commerce Committee Nomination Hearing Transcripts

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