At the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association conference on April 8, 2025, Surface Transportation Board Chairman-designate Patrick Fuchs addressed the audience, emphasizing the agency's shift towards enhanced efficiency to support competition and growth within the rail industry.
Fuchs expressed a commitment to removing obstacles hindering growth, promoting competition, and emphasizing market dynamics over governmental intervention. His goal is to streamline the board's operations to better serve businesses and the nation as a whole.
Enhancing the accountability of the board is a top priority for Fuchs, who highlighted that the agency issues approximately 400 decisions annually. He acknowledged past delays and inefficiencies, such as a decade-long tank car case, stressing the importance of meeting statutory requirements promptly. Under his leadership, decision-making in cases has increased by 28% since the previous year.
Speaking at the conference, Fuchs emphasized the need for the STB's transformation in light of broader governmental restructuring efforts. While the Trump administration has implemented significant changes, particularly through executive orders, the impact on the transportation sector has been less pronounced compared to other agencies.
In an interview with FreightWaves, Fuchs mentioned the forthcoming issuance of a White House document outlining executive control and organization for federal agencies. At the STB, reductions in full-time staff have been made primarily through voluntary separations, although specific figures were not provided.
Fuchs outlined his strategy of setting deadlines and enforcing them, directing the majority of board staff to return to full-time office work. He reported operational cost savings of around 6% resulting from a thorough review and reorganization of critical functions. This includes consolidating legal teams to expedite decision-making processes.
Looking ahead, Fuchs anticipates continued transformative changes aimed at improving the board's efficiency and effectiveness. He urged stakeholders to evaluate his performance based on the outcomes achieved and to hold him accountable for delivering on his commitments.