The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation.

"[2] The first secretary of transportation was Alan S. Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson.

[6] In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the secretary of transportation called The Fast Lane.

[7] On January 23, 2009, the 16th secretary, Ray LaHood, took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.

Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, was nominated by Donald Trump on November 29, 2016.