President Donald Trump's administration may have just given a hint of its agenda for the trucking industry with a raft of new appointments during a regulatory freeze.
Some of the trucking-facing appointments have experience with legal counsel for big fleets, in government, and in the autonomous vehicle space.
Jesse Elison, the new Chief Legal Counsel at Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, is probably the most consequential trucking-facing role announced so far. Elison is an accomplished lawyer and author who led the legal teams at Montgomery Transport and the Bennett Family of Companies before becoming a partner at Taylor Nelson PL, a transportation law firm.
In October of 2024, Elison spoke at the National Industrial Transportation League's Engage event about "the trends, root causes, and outlook of nuclear verdicts within the ocean, rail, and highway transportation sectors." On LinkedIn in September during Truck Driver Appreciation Week, he posted about his support for truck drivers.
"Truck Drivers -- as much as anyone and more than most -- make our lives go around," Elison wrote. "Big thanks, this week and always."
He also indicated that he attended the American Trucking Associations' legal forum in July in Minneapolis. Outside of trucking, Elison is an author with two books out, "My Mormon Life" and "On Riverton Road."
Another key player in the FMCSA under Trump and Secretary Sean Duffy is Adrienne Camire, former Chief Counsel at the Federal Highway Administration, who will now serve as the Senior Advisor to the Administrator at FMCSA.
Over at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Trump administration announced the appointment of Peter Simshauser as Chief Counsel. Simshauser previously worked as General Counsel of Motional, a company that develops and commercializes autonomous vehicles, like the robotaxi passenger vehicles at Lyft.
In announcing the appointments, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy praised the team.
“President Trump has entrusted this team to work tirelessly to reaffirm American’s complete confidence in the safety of our transportation systems,” he said. “It’s been nothing short of incredible seeing this team leap into action after this week’s tragedy," referencing the aviation disaster in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29. "Our focus remains on ushering in a golden age of transportation while prioritizing the Department’s core mission of safety and delivering innovative projects that move America.”
