U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has named Vinn White deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
White also will serve as the agency’s acting administrator, FMCSA said.
He follows Sue Lawless, who served as deputy administrator and interim head after Robin Hutcheson—the first Senate-confirmed FMCSA administrator since Raymond Martinez resigned in 2019—left her post in January. A member of the Biden-Harris Administration since 2021, White currently serves as the Department of Transportation’s acting chief artificial intelligence officer, overseeing implementation of White House Executive Order 14110 to advance and govern the development and use of AI in accordance with the administration’s guiding principles and priorities.
“It is an honor to take on this role, and I thank Secretary Buttigieg for his trust and confidence in my ability to lead the important work of FMCSA,” White said in a news release. “Our agency is focused on enhancing safety for all roadway users, and I am committed to working with safety partners across the commercial motor vehicle industry to get this work done.”
Prior to joining FMCSA, White was responsible for coordinating DOT initiatives on emerging transportation technologies, including coordinating cross-departmental policies related to automated driving systems, drone and advanced air mobility systems, surface vehicle-to-everything connectivity, 5G integration with the nation’s critical aviation infrastructure, and other sector-facing, innovation-related policy areas. During this time, he led development of the department’s innovation principles and helped launch the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee.
White’s appointment in 2021 marked a return to the DOT after previously serving as acting assistant secretary of transportation for policy and deputy assistant secretary in 2016, where he was the chief architect for DOT’s 30-year transportation plan, Beyond Traffic.
White’s experience and knowledge in transportation spans more than 15 years, including his tenure as a senior advisor to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. During that time, White worked on transportation and mobility policy and engaged closely with the NJ Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Commission, NJ TRANSIT, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to inform state strategies and approaches.