T.F. "Scott" Darling is now officially the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, after running the agency on an interim basis since Anne Ferro left the post in August 2014.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Darling by voice vote in a unanimous decision on July 14, before adjourning for the next seven weeks, according to published reports. His confirmation hearing was held nearly six months ago after being nominated by President Obama last August.

Darling was appointed the agency’s chief counsel in September 2012 by President Obama.

Prior to joining FMCSA, he held the posts of deputy chief of staff and assistant general counsel at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the public transit agency serving the greater Boston area. Darling also served previously as the MBTA's environmental and land use counsel as well as its privacy administrator. 

Last fall, Annette Sandberg, a former FMCSA administrator now in a private consulting business, said that Darling's pending confirmation was likely slowing the progress of rulemakings at the agency.

However, some of the new and proposed regulations Darling already has been presiding over include a safety fitness determination rule proposal that was supposed to help tie CSA scores to official safety ratings; proposed entry-level driver training requirements; a new driver coercion rule; and the electronic logs mandate. Also in the works, the agency is gathering information about how to deal with the health issue of obstructive sleep apnea from a regulatory standpoint.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Foxx said he was pleased by the Senate's actions.

"As the acting Administrator over the last 11 months, Scott has been laser-focused on the agency’s mission of reducing large bus and truck crashes and fatalities. He goes the extra mile to engage actively and personally with the agency’s stakeholders. His collaborative approach has moved the ball forward on commercial motor vehicle safety. I look forward to our continued work together and congratulate him on his confirmation.”