Trump’s NHTSA nominee raises concerns among truck safety advocates

Mar 14, 2025 at 01:50 PM CST
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised at his Senate nomination hearing a Department of Transportation that would be “data-driven and safety-driven,” but truck safety advocates are concerned that President Donald Trump’s pick to lead one of Duffy’s modal agencies may not be on the same page. Jonathan Morrison, who has been nominated to be administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was chief counsel at NHTSA during the first Trump administration when the agency had allegedly been involved in suppressing key crash data. Safety advocates believe that the data, which was part of a $200,000 research study conducted at Volpe National Transportation Systems Center and paid for by DOT, should have been used to inform an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to determine whether a rule is needed to require truck trailers be outfitted with sideguards to prevent cars from sliding underneath, injuring or killing passengers.

Mar 14, 2025 at 01:50 PM CST

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised at his Senate nomination hearing a Department of Transportation that would be “data-driven and safety-driven,” but truck safety advocates are concerned that President Donald Trump’s pick to lead one of Duffy’s modal agencies may not be on the same page.

Jonathan Morrison, who has been nominated to be administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was chief counsel at NHTSA during the first Trump administration when the agency had allegedly been involved in suppressing key crash data.

Safety advocates believe that the data, which was part of a $200,000 research study conducted at Volpe National Transportation Systems Center and paid for by DOT, should have been used to inform an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to determine whether a rule is needed to require truck trailers be outfitted with sideguards to prevent cars from sliding underneath, injuring or killing passengers.