Federal trucking regulators have been issuing a warning about very apparent means of change as the FMCSA has made it shockingly clear that the truckers who test positive for drugs are evidently going to be stripped of the CDLs, or Commercial Drivers’ Licenses. What this means for drivers is that they may have their driving status prohibited and be barred from work until they complete the federal return-to-work process.
So this is obviously a good thing, given that we don’t truckers with drug additions to be hopped up on substance abuse to be roaming the roads. It’s a good idea for it to be a requirement that safety-sensitive functions are specifically reserved for drivers who continue to stay abstinent from the dangers of intoxication.
But not to worry! There’s plenty of time to prepare, given that it’s in the span of time between now and November 18th, 2024 that truck drivers can get clean. All while the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse will disallow drivers with prohibited statuses to lose or deny their state-issue commercial driving privileges.
So you can get clean before then, most likely. But this has been long-standing for a while now, given that the drivers will receive drug tests right before to show that they need to pass in order to require state driver licensing agencies to believe them as a CDL license will only be held until the FMCSA gets word that the drivers in question will have by then satisfied and completed the return-to-duty process. Of course, the FMCSA takes out the violation from the Clearinghouse.
As it turns out, the final rule will allow unsafe drivers to stay away from the road by upping the compliance with the CMV driving prohibition.
The employers of drivers are required to give a list of DOT-qualified substance abuse professionals for education and treatment. By then, drivers are allowed to use their own SAP in regards to their very own research.
Meanwhile, ATRI states that marijuana is the common ground, where by no means necessary, can truck drivers use it at all. There’s zero tolerance for the drug.
But these are the type of statements that need to be made! Given that 1 million new CDL records have been cumulatively added between 2021 and 2022.
So it’s worth testing all those drivers to see if they’ve actually done drugs or not. Because if so, move aside! The roads need to be kept safe!