The vast majority of passenger travel in the United States occurs by automobile for shorter distances and airplane or railroad for longer distances. Most cargo in the U.S. is transported by,in descending order,railroad,truck,pipeline,or boat;air shipping is typically used only for perishables and premium express shipments. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
The United States Secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secretary is a statutory member of the Cabinet of the United States,and is fourteenth in the presidential line of succession.
The United States Department of Transportation is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a United States service academy in Kings Point,New York. It trains its midshipmen to serve as officers in the United States Merchant Marine,branches of the United States Armed Forces and the transportation industry. Midshipmen are trained in different fields such as marine engineering,navigation,ship's administration,maritime law,personnel management,international law,customs,and many other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.
The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. MARAD administers financial programs to develop,promote,and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. In addition it conducts research and development activities in the maritime field;regulates the transfer of U.S. documented vessels to foreign registries;maintains equipment,shipyard facilities,and reserve fleets of Government-owned ships essential for national defense.
Its programs promote the use of waterborne transportation and its seamless integration with other segments of the transportation system,and the viability of the U.S. merchant marine. The Maritime Administration works in many areas involving ships and shipping,shipbuilding,port operations,vessel operations,national security,environment,and safety. The Maritime Administration is also charged with maintaining the health of the merchant marine,since commercial mariners,vessels,and intermodal facilities are vital for supporting national security,and so the agency provides support and information for current mariners,extensive support for educating future mariners,and programs to educate America's young people about the vital role the maritime industry plays in the lives of all Americans.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs,the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program. Its role had previously been performed by the Office of Road Inquiry,Office of Public Roads and the Bureau of Public Roads.
Robert Francis McDonnell is an American politician,attorney,businessman,academic administrator,and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.
Mary E. Peters is an American government official who served as the 15th United States secretary of transportation from 2006 to 2009,under President George W. Bush. She was the second woman to hold that position after Elizabeth Dole.
The Virginia Port Authority (VPA) is an autonomous agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia that owns The Port of Virginia,a group of facilities with their activity centered on the harbor of Hampton Roads,Virginia.
John E. Jamian is an American businessman,former U.S. government official,and Michigan State Legislator. He served as deputy and later acting maritime administrator,the head of the U.S. Maritime Administration,an agency of the United States Department of Transportation,from 2003 until 2006. He was confirmed as deputy maritime administrator by the Senate on May 7,2003 and became acting maritime administrator February 12,2005. Prior to his service at the Maritime Administration,Jamian was elected to three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1991 to 1996. From 1997 to 2001 he served as executive director of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority and from 2001 until his appointment as deputy director in 2003 as the executive director the Armenian Assembly of America. Between 2011 and 2015,Jamian resumed his role as executive director at the Port of Detroit. Since returning to private life in 2015,he has held the position of Chief Operations Officer for Troy,Michigan based AmeriCare Medical Inc. and continues to serve as the Armenian Assembly of America's State of Michigan Director.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2017. He served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security from April to November 2019 and again from January to June 2021. From January 20,2021 to February 2,2021 he served as acting secretary of homeland security,during the Senate confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas. Pekoske retired with 33 years of active military service in 2010 as the 26th vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is an independent agency in the Commonwealth of Virginia to promote and improve transportation. It covers the Counties of Arlington,Fairfax,Loudoun,and the Cities of Alexandria,Falls Church,and Fairfax. NVTC manages the Northern Virginia Transportation District. That District was created by the 1964 Acts of Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia,chapter 630;and the Transportation District Act.
Peter H. Appel was the administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). From 2009 to 2011 Appel was the Obama Administration point person on transportation technology issues and research. He left RITA in late 2011 for the private sector to work on emerging technologies in the transportation industry.
The United States Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) is an inter-agency committee authorized by the United States Coast Guard and the Maritime Transportation Act of 2012 to coordinate policies affecting the U.S. Marine Transportation System (MTS).
Rebecca Feemster Dye is an American attorney who has served as a commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission since November 14,2002.
Joel Szabat is a former American government official and military officer. In August 2018,Szabat was nominated by President Donald Trump to become Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation and International Affairs. He was confirmed by the United States Senate in a unanimous voice vote on January 2,2019. Szabat became Acting Under Secretary in June,2019.
Paul N. "Chip" Jaenichen is an American retired United States Navy officer who served as the Administrator of the United States Maritime Administration from July 25,2014 to January 13,2017.
Robert Esteban Martinez is an American politician who served under governor George Allen as the 8th Virginia Secretary of Transportation. He also served as Deputy Administrator for the United States Maritime Administration and was named by President George H. W. Bush to Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Director of the Office of Intermodalism.
United States 
