President Donald Trump has nominated someone with experience in both the public and private sectors to serve as the administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The nominee, Jonathan Morrison, worked as NHTSA’s chief counsel during Trump’s first term as president. According to Morrison’s LinkedIn page, he started working at Apple in March 2021.
The White House announced Morrison’s nomination, along with dozens of others, on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
NHTSA is responsible for enforcing vehicle performance standards.
Before starting his role as NHTSA’s chief counsel in 2017, Morrison worked as the president of Auto Advisory Services and the director of legal and regulatory affairs at the California New Car Dealers Association.
Morrison’s nomination was quickly supported by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
“During his tenure as chief counsel of NHTSA during President Trump’s first term, Morrison was a committed public servant who put safety first and worked closely and effectively with GHSA and its members,” the association wrote. “GHSA looks forward to working with Morrison to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on State Highway Safety Offices that reduce the impact of critical and limited safety dollars.”
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation also touted Morrison’s experience.
“This is the right background to lead the country’s top traffic safety regulator – someone who understands the agency from the inside and has extensive experience in the automotive and technology industries,” the alliance wrote. “Jonathan Morrison knows both sides – and that will be a major asset for the administration’s traffic safety and vehicle technology agenda.”
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has multiple open investigations that are of interest to truck drivers and the general public.
This past October, the agency launched an investigation looking into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, which allows the vehicle to take control of driving functions in limited conditions.
Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he would allow the probe into Tesla to continue.
NHTSA also launched an investigation into automatic emergency braking systems on certain Freightliner and Western Star trucks. There were 18 complaints of false AEB activation “without an actual roadway obstacle.” In some instances, the false activation brought the truck to a complete stop in the travel lane.
The previous administration planned on issuing a final rule for automatic emergency braking systems on heavy trucks in 2025. However, it is unclear if the new administration plans to move forward with a mandate. LL
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