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Drug and alcohol clearinghouse
FMCSA’s Hutcheson: Revised guidelines by summer for drug hair testing
ORLANDO, Fla. — A long-awaited revamp of mandatory guidelines for using hair to test truck drivers for drugs will be out this summer, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Robin Hutcheson.
Hutcheson updated the trucking industry on the progress being made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the new guidelines at the Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting on Monday.
“We know that hair testing as part of drug testing is a big issue for you,”...
Truckers’ positive drug tests up 18% in 2022
The latest data from the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse reveals that drug use among commercial drivers may be at its highest level since the federal repository was set up in 2019 — but more are being cleared to drive again as well.
Total drug violations reported into the clearinghouse in 2022, including positive tests and refusals to take a drug test, increased 18% to 69,668 compared with last year’s 59,011, according to the most recent statistics released this week by the Federal Motor Carrier...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckers-positive-drug-tests-up-18-in-2022
FMCSA denies carriers’ request to report truck driver hair tests
Robin Hutcheson argues that federal statute prevents her from approving a drug-test exemption that some of the nation’s largest trucking companies argue would have kept thousands of drug-abusing drivers off the roads.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief stated in a public filing on Thursday that she was therefore obligated to deny an application filed by a group of 11 major truckload operators seeking an exemption from federal regulations to require positive hair tests be...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-denies-carriers-request-to-report-truck-driver-hair-tests
Minority and independent truckers challenge hair testing for drugs
A drug-screening proposal that would raise the bar for thousands of truck drivers seeking work is getting strong pushback from independent and minority drivers.
An exemption request, filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in August by 11 major trucking companies, would effectively require that hair test results used by those companies to screen drivers for drug abuse be reported in the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Those results would then be available to any...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/minority-and-independent-truckers-challenge-hair-testing-for-drugs
FMCSA takes on request to allow hair tests into drug clearinghouse
A group of big-name trucking companies are once again asking federal regulators to allow hair testing for drugs to determine if a person is fit to drive — and this time the government has agreed to consider their case.
The Trucking Alliance, whose members include J.B. Hunt Transport (NASDAQ: JBHT), U.S. Xpress (NYSE: USX) and Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX), are seeking an exemption that would for the first time allow positive results using hair to test for drugs — taken from random...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/trucking-group-raises-pressure-to-allow-hair-for-drug-testing
Nuclear verdicts: Measuring exposure and managing risk
In February 2017, Kathryn Armijo was struck and killed following a head-on collision involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 10 just outside Las Cruces, New Mexico.
A two-week jury trial in 2019 ended with a $40.5 million award against the mega-carrier, which trained the driver through its affiliated driver-training school. The driver had been on the job for just eight days when, the court documents detail, he crossed four lanes of traffic and a concrete median before striking Armijo’s car.
The...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nuclear-verdicts-measuring-exposure-and-managing-risk
ELDT rule changes dynamic for carriers running driver training programs
It has been more than a month since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) game-changing entry-level driver training (ELDT) rule went into effect. Under the rule, anyone training drivers — both those new to the industry (Class A and B CDLs), those seeking endorsements (passenger, school bus or hazardous materials) for the first time or even experienced drivers looking to upgrade their CDLs — must meet minimum training standards and receive that training from a registered...
FMCSA-reported drug-test violations grew 10% in 2021
Drug violations for truck drivers increased 10.2% in 2021 over 2020 in the first full-year data comparison compiled by the federal Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.
While the number of actual positive drug tests increased only 3.1% to 55,223 (refusing to take a test is also considered a violation), a year-to-year comparison of 15 drug categories within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration-run clearinghouse revealed that positive tests for cocaine and marijuana increased 10.4% (7,940 to...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-reported-drug-test-violations-grew-10-in-2021
Driver shortage: Hire qualified drivers faster and without settling
In what has become a near annual occurrence, the American Transportation Research Institute said the driver shortage is among the top industry concerns. In the latest iteration of its research, released in October 2021, the driver shortage was the top concern, followed by driver retention and driver compensation.
“When we talk to our providers and ask them if they are having a driver shortage, they say, ‘We’ve always had a driver shortage, it’s now the consumer [knows about it],’” said Daniella...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/driver-shortage-hire-qualified-drivers-faster-and-without-settling