WASHINGTON — Perhaps to counterbalance the selection of former trucking association boss Anne Ferro to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the White House has appointed a former anti-truck group spokesman to be her deputy.

The Obama administration has tapped Bill Bronrott, a Maryland state delegate, to be deputy administrator of the FMCSA.

Bronrott was once a spokesman for harsh critics of the trucking industry, including special interest groups like Parents Against Tired Truckers and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways.

Bronrott was involved in preventing several trucking industry initiatives such as a federal law in 1991 that would have allowed double-48-foot trucks in Maryland and other states; and a proposal that would have increased the number of hours drivers could stay behind the wheel.

He has served the last 12 years in the Maryland House of Delegates, where he has worked on numerous bills to strengthen the state’s impaired driving, aggressive driving, and child passenger safety laws.

"Bill Bronrott brings an extraordinary combination of skills and experience from his three decades as a respected highway safety leader, a highly effective public communications practitioner, and as someone dedicated to government service," said Anne Ferro, FMCSA administrator.

Obama faced opposition from The Teamsters, Public Citizen and several media outlets when he nominated former Baltimore Trucking Association President Anne Ferro to the top job at FMCSA.

There were reports in Washington at the time that those groups quietly agreed to stand down if the administration agreed to move quickly on rewriting the hours-of-service rules.

The Department of Transportation announced it would rewrite the rules shortly after Ferro was confirmed.