New Jersey transportation official tapped by Trump to head FMCSA

President Trump announced plans to nominate Raymond Martinez to be the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Sept. 26.

The current chairman and chief administrator of the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and a member of the New Jersey State Planning Commission, Martinez manages a state agency that garnishes more than $1 billion in annual revenue and that has an operating budget of about $330 million. The motor vehicle commission also licenses nearly 6 million motorists and is charged with providing titling, registration and inspection services to more than 6 million vehicles.

Martinez was previously the commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and served as chairman of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. He also was the deputy chief of staff and special counsel to the New York State Attorney General and has twice sat on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Earlier on in his career, Martinez served as deputy chief of protocol at the U.S. Department of State, the deputy director of scheduling and advance for the First Lady and as a special assistant at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Martinez earned a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law in New York and a B.A. from Long Island University’s C.W. Post College, where he later served on the adjunct faculty in public administration.