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February 8, 2001 9:10 AM, EST

Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta has a list of candidates to fill the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s top spot, but has not yet pinpointed anyone for the job. In the interim, Julie A. Cirillo continues to lead the agency.

“We are just getting into the whole issue of personnel. Right now, we have a long list of names,” Mineta told Transport Topics in an interview Jan. 31. “The whole vetting process will take quite a while.”

President Bush’s new DOT head said he hoped to nominate an FMCSA administrator sometime in March, but he added that rigorous background checks required for anyone considered for a presidentially appointed position might delay the process.

The secretary said Cirillo would lead the trucking safety agency on an interim basis until an administrator is nominated and confirmed. He said he is confident that Cirillo will do an excellent job and that he has “a great deal of faith in Julie.”

For the full story, see the Feb. 5 print edition of Transport Topics. .