Donald J. Trump is the 45th President of the United States of America. He was probably the most controversial presidential candidate the country has ever seen, but what his presidency will hold is yet to be seen. There have been promising glimpses of what he could do. One of these moves is nominating Elaine Chao to be the Transportation Secretary.
This is a vital position for Trump as he has proposed a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure improvement campaign. Chao will have a lot on her hands with regulation of self-driving cars, new safety measures for passenger vehicles, and new regulations on heavy-duty trucks. The automotive industry is taking big strides in alternate power sources, safety measures, and more, which means a multitude of directions the transportation secretary will have to be going in.
Elaine Chao has plenty of experience; she served as the Labor Secretary under Pres. George W. Bush and Deputy Secretary of Transportation under his father Pres. George H. W. Bush. She has already received high praise from those in the industry who are excited to see what she will do. Christ Spear, chief executive of the American Trucking Associations, said, “I had the privilege of serving with and working closely with Secretary Chao during my time at the Department of Labor, and I am extremely pleased that she will be taking on this new challenge.” This sentiment is shared with many others in the industry, though some are a bit more hesitant and want to see how she handles herself once she takes the position. But as things stand, there is good reason to feel optimistic about the trucking and logistics industry’s future.