Story by: John Gallagher, Washington Correspondent @FreightWaves

Ray Martinez is leaving the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and will be replaced by current FMCSA Chief Counsel Jim Mullen, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced today (Oct. 10). No reason was initially given for his departure. FMCSA was not immediately available to comment.

Martinez, a New Jersey native whose tenure as head of the agency lasted roughly 20 months, will “take the opportunity to move closer to home and oversee the major DOT construction project taking place at the Volpe Center in Massachusetts,” according to a DOT statement. “We are grateful for Martinez’s service and glad that he will keep serving the Department in this capacity, while also meeting his long-held wishes to be located closer to his family.”

Current Deputy Administrator Alan Hanson will replace Mullen as the agency’s chief counsel. DOT noted that Hanson, who had formerly served as Chief of Staff to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) has been “closely involved in many rulemakings and will continue to use his legal background ensure that the important work FMCSA has been doing continues apace.”

This story will be updated. 

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Source and credits: freightwaves.com / Clarissa Hawes  /  iTrucker  / Mario Pawlowski