Nomination of Meera Joshi to oversee FMCSA nears Senate vote

Meera Joshi, President Joe Biden’s pick, to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration moved a step closer to the agency’s top role this week.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted 22-6 Wednesday to approve the FMCSA Deputy Administrator’s nomination to become Administrator of the agency. The nomination must be approved by the full Senate.

Meera Joshi
Meera Joshi

Joshi took part in a confirmation hearing with the Committee in September, responding to questions on a wide-range of topics, such asthe COVID hours of service waiver, port congestion and autonomous vehicles. 

Joshi has been serving as acting administrator of FMCSA since late January. If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first official Administrator of FMCSA since Ray Martinez. After he stepped down from the post in October 2019, the job has since been held by Jim Mullen, Wiley Deck and Joshi, each as acting administrator. 

Joshi previously served as a Principal and New York General Manager with the transportation firm Sam Schwartz for the past year. She assumed that post after serving for more than five years as Chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), which licenses and regulates yellow taxi cabs and app-based ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft.

Before that role, she served as TLC’s Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and General Counsel. She previously served as the first Deputy Executive Director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the agency tasked with investigating complaints of police misconduct. She also served as an Inspector General for the New York City Department of Investigation and was responsible for overseeing New York City’s Department of Correction, Probation, Juvenile Justice, and the TLC.

Related:

FMCSA to mandate states downgrade license for drivers with substance violations

 

Share this post