Anne Ferro Resigns
Late Friday afternoon, Anne Ferro announced she was stepping down as FMCSA Administrator. She will be taking over as President of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) as of August 25. She issued an internal letter to FMCSA personnel, which has been leaked to the outside world:
“It has been my greatest privilege to serve side-by-side with you to advance FMCSA’s life saving mission. While the opportunity to assume this position at AAMVA is another personal dream come true, no job can match the immense honor I have had serving President Obama, and Secretaries Foxx and LaHood with you – the dedicated individuals who persevere every day to make safe transportation a reality for all of us.”
So, what do we make of this decision? I spoke to an industry colleague regarding this resignation. He thinks she was forced out. I don’t know. It did happen late on a Friday afternoon, and whenever the government wants to bury an event so no one knows about it, they do it on a Friday afternoon, when people have already checked out for the weekend.
Still, if someone was kicking her out, would she have another job all lined up already? Besides, exactly who would be kicking her out? Here is the statement of her boss, former Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx, now Secretary of Transportation:
“Anne has been a true leader in safety throughout her time at DOT and has become a trusted advisor and friend to me during my time as secretary. Under Anne’s leadership, FMCSA has ushered in a new culture of safety into the commercial bus and trucking industries. She has made it more difficult for companies that jeopardize the public’s well-being to stay in business and easier for consumers to make informed choices when choosing a shipper or buying a bus ticket.
From making it easier for veterans to get jobs as commercial drivers, to shutting down more than 100 dangerous bus companies last year alone, the initiatives Anne has championed will continue to increase safety for travelers on our roads for years to come. It is a legacy we are proud to continue. In addition, Anne’s infectious enthusiasm for our work and our people has made DOT an even better place to work.
On behalf of the entire Department and Administration, I want to thank Anne for her extraordinary tenure of service and wish her and her family well as she embarks on the next chapter of her career.”
I note one glaring omission from Foxx’s statement. Nowhere in Foxx’s statement does it mention anything about success in reducing crashes and fatalities. The reason that’s not there is because it has not happened. Despite the blizzard of new regulations, and drastically increased penalties, deaths in truck crashes have increased under the Ferro regime. There’s really no way to spin it; in fact, it appears as if FMCSA is not even going to try.
It’s possible, but unlikely that Ferro is being canned because of her failure to reduce crashes. Frankly, I doubt the people pulling her strings give a damn about crashes one way or the other. The blizzard of regulations is not being issued to reduce crashes. It’s being issued to cull the herd, and control the industry. A regulated industry with 800,000 carriers is unmanageable, but one with 300,000 is much more controllable.
If she’s being forced out it may have something to do with her disastrous new 70 hour rule. It’s complicated, it’s difficult to calculate, and it’s counter-productive. We in the industry have railed against it from the outset, because it’s moronic. It’s going to cause crashes, not prevent them. When Senator Susan Collins’ amendment to the highway bill, which suspends this dumb rule came up for a vote in committee, it carried 21 – 9. That is a sizable majority, which means the industry is winning the argument. It’s possible the Obama White House is making Ferro disappear, and with her the new 70 hour rule, thereby buying peace with the ATA and the Senate, most of which are Obama allies. It’s possible. Not likely.
The most likely explanation is the simplest. Ferro is just tired of the high stress job, and is taking an easier job with less demands, and possibly more pay. She is not being forced out of anything. Really, considering who her bosses are, they are probably delirious with her performance. She has beaten the living hell out of the industry, particularly the smaller carriers. She has put the fear of God into the carriers, and done much to drive some out of the industry. She has not reduced crashes, but as I said, her bosses don’t give a damn about that.
Regardless of why she is leaving, it is still a good thing. Anne Ferro may be a nice person, who is good to her mother, but the bottomline remains: she is a hardcore statist who is an avowed enemy of liberty. It is extremely likely she will be replaced by another hardcore statist. Nevertheless, for now be happy, Ferro is gone.
