U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

New drug hair testing guidelines delayed until May 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has again pushed back its schedule for publishing revised mandatory guidelines for drug testing hair under testing programs used at federal agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The revised guidelines, originally scheduled to be published in June 2023, have been delayed until May 2025, according to the Office of Management and Budget’s fall regulatory agenda. The guidelines were pushed back twice...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/new-drug-hair-testing-guidelines-delayed-until-may-2025

ATA red-flags DOJ’s proposed marijuana policy change

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s anticipated move to recategorize marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act will likely lead to more truck crashes unless safeguards are put in place, the American Trucking Associations has warned.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the Justice Department’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to reschedule the drug at a press briefing on Thursday.

“If finalized, marijuana will no longer hold...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ata-red-flags-dojs-proposed-marijuana-policy-change

Labor, climate costs loom large for trucking in 2024

WASHINGTON — While election-year politics may gridlock Congress from passing meaningful truck-related legislation in 2024, the potential for a change in administrations could be a catalyst for finalizing two regulations that have major cost and operational implications for the industry.

Proposed rules to tighten standards for independent contractors and on carbon emissions from heavy trucks — both of which are undergoing final review at the White House — also fit squarely within the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/labor-climate-costs-loom-large-for-trucking-in-2024

Hair drug-testing guidelines sent to White House

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WASHINGTON — A revamp of a controversial proposed rule setting standards for using hair to test...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/headline-hair-drug-testing-guidelines-sent-to-white-house

FMCSA’s Hutcheson commits to allowing hair-based drug testing of truckers

FMCSA Acting Administrator Karen Hutcheson

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Robin Hutcheson testified Wednesday her agency is committed to closing what some in the trucking industry believe are major loopholes in the FMCSA’s oversight of testing truck drivers for drug use.

“We are working with [the Department of] Health and Human Services; they are completing a study and when it is complete we stand ready to implement their recommendations,” Hutcheson told Senate Commerce Committee lawmakers at her nomination hearing to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsas-hutcheson-commits-to-allowing-hair-based-drug-testing-of-truckersnbsp

Truckers using cocaine more than marijuana, study finds

A new study reveals that the U.S. Department of Transportation may be underreporting cocaine abuse by truck drivers, a finding that could put more pressure on federal regulators to allow hair testing as an alternative to urine testing for preemployment drug screening by trucking companies.

Because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse does not allow hair test results to be included in the database, DOT “is seriously underreporting the actual use of harder...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truckers-using-cocaine-more-than-marijuana-study-finds

Carriers pressure FMCSA to act on drug hair-test exemption request

Eleven large-fleet trucking companies are pushing federal regulators to address a petition to allow hair testing for drugs that the carriers claim is needed to help keep drug-using truck drivers from getting behind the wheel.

The carriers — which include publicly traded truckload operators J.B. Hunt [NASDAQ: JBHT], U.S. Xpress [NYSE: USX], Knight-Swift Transportation [NYSE: KNX] and Schneider National [NYSE: SNDR] — are seeking an exemption from trucking regulations so that they could use hair...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/carriers-pressure-fmcsa-to-act-on-drug-hair-test-exemption-request

Will Biden steer hair-based drug testing to the exit ramp?

Proposed federal guidelines for using hair to test for drugs within the trucking industry may not get finalized anytime soon now that the Biden administration is in town.

Rolled out in September, the proposal has been unpopular on both sides of the hair-testing issue. Supporters — major trucking companies that are already screening drivers using this method and want uniformity and a level playing field — say the proposal is not strict enough. Opponents — labor unions and small-business truckers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-biden-steer-hair-based-drug-testing-to-the-exit-ramp?

DOD planning ‘every logistical detail’ of COVID vaccine distribution

U.S. military personnel unloading equipment from back of a

U.S. military leaders and logistics specialists are working on multiple fronts to ensure rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Efforts include reducing red tape for imports and exports of clinical trial materials and coordinating logistics plans with public health jurisdictions across the country.

The Department of Defense is essentially serving as a lead logistics provider, applying its vast logistical capabilities to coordinate with private sector manufacturing and freight transportation...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dod-planning-every-logistical-detail-of-covid-vaccine-distribution

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