Jeffrey Rosen Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Transportation
The Senate has confirmed Jeffrey Rosen as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, serving under Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Jeffrey Rosen Photo via Acus.gov

Jeffrey RosenPhoto via Acus.gov
The Senate has confirmed Jeffrey Rosen as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, serving under Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Rosen was President Trump’s pick for the position and he was confirmed by a 56-42 vote. In the role, he will supervise day-to-day operations at DOT.
Rosen is a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, an international commercial law firm dealing in complex litigation, corporate and tax, intellectual property, restructuring, and counseling matters. His practice has included cases involving regulatory matters, such as contracts, antitrust, securities, RICO, business torts, enforcement action and product liability, including class actions, according to Whitehouse.gov.
Rosen previously served with the U.S. DOT as the department’s chief legal officer, where he oversaw the activities of over 400 lawyers. For that position, he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
For the deputy secretary appointment, Rosen faced some opposition from Senate Democrats who disagree with the administration’s proposed goals of cutting infrastructure grant programs, according to The Hill.
In addition, there was concern about how he would view regulations affecting transportation. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) released a statement noting that, “Mr. Rosen has a long history of advocating for the rollback of commonsense regulations that keep Americans healthy and safe.
“He has not only opposed regulating greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, he has challenged the very science behind climate change. The man seeking to be the second in command at the Department of Transportation has opposed addressing dangerous pollutants emitted from cars and trucks, which are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. transportation sector.”
American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear congratulated Rosen in a statement Wednesday, saying, "I ... look forward to working with him on a host of issues impacting trucking, including improving the safety of our roads and investing to rebuild our infrastructure. With previous experience at the DOT, as well as at the White House Office of Management and Budget, Jeff brings tremendous experience and insight to this role and will serve the president, Secretary Chao and our nation well."
More Safety & Compliance

NYC Expands Speed, Pedestrian Safety Tech Across Fleet
New York City is expanding intelligent speed assistance and pedestrian-alert systems across its municipal fleet, moving the technologies from pilot programs into vehicle procurement and retrofit requirements.
Read More →
FMCSA Removes 110 Truck Driver Training Schools from Certified ELDT List
Federal regulators also are targeting more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers as part of a broader crackdown on trucking fraud.
Read More →
Beyond DOT Compliance: What Makes a Trucking Fleet Truly Safe?
A trucking fleet can follow every rule and still make unsafe decisions. The real test comes when safety conflicts with freight, productivity, or cost.
Read More →
Hours of Service Pilot Programs: FMCSA Readies for 2027 Rollout
Two pilot programs could eventually reshape hours-of-service rules, giving truck drivers options to pause their 14-hour clock or use longer split sleeper rest periods.
Read More →
New Guide Offers Pet Safety Tips for Truck Drivers
Hundreds of thousands of pets travel in truck cabs. A new safety guide from Volvo Trucks and the Center for Pet Safety offers practical advice for truck drivers who bring dogs and cats along for the ride.
Read More →
Medical Cards, English Proficiency Reshape Roadcheck Violations
Medical-card violations jumped to the top of the driver out-of-service list during CVSA’s 2026 International Roadcheck, while English-language proficiency violations appeared among the leading violations for the first time.
Read More →
How Lance Evans Turns Enforcement Experience Into Better Fleet Safety
HDT Truck Fleet Innovator Lance Evans brings lessons from law enforcement to K&B Transportation’s approach to safety technology, data, driver coaching, and compliance.
Read More →
New FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Has Trucking Industry and Law Enforcement Experience
Steve Dowling joins FMCSA after serving as senior director of safety at Covenant Logistics and in leadership roles in commercial motor vehicle industry organizations.
Read More →
Driver Trust Can Make or Break the Success of Fleet Safety Technology
New Teletrac Navman research suggests that onboarding, transparency about driver data, and positive feedback can play a significant role in how commercial drivers respond to safety and coaching technology.
Read More →
FMCSA: Stop Using These 15 Electronic Logging Devices
Fleets and drivers must replace the revoked ELDs with ones on the FMCSA's registered device list of electronic logging devices.
Read More →
