Trucking groups request expanded proposal on drug, alcohol database

Arlington, VA – A group of organizations representing the truck and bus industries and law enforcement is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to expand the scope of the agency’s proposal for establishing a national database of truck and bus drivers’ drug and alcohol test results.

The petitioners are requesting that FMCSA issue a Supplemental Notice that would require the proposed database to include employer accounts of employees’ misuse of drugs or alcohol, or an employee’s self-admission of misusing drugs or alcohol.

The petitioners argue that the database is meant to prevent drivers who have misused drugs or alcohol before performing safety-sensitive functions from hiding this information from potential employers, and limiting the database to only positive test results ignores other known evidence of these behaviors.

The group, which includes the American Trucking Associations, sent the petition May 5 to FMCSA, which had not responded as of press time.