FMCSA to establish database of CMV drivers who fail drug, alcohol tests

Washington – Commercial motor vehicle drivers who fail a drug and alcohol test will be listed on a national clearinghouse to be created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according to a final rule published Dec. 5.

Once established, the clearinghouse will include records of violations of FMCSA’s drug and alcohol testing program. Motor carriers will need to search the system for information related to current and prospective employees who might have unresolved violations that prohibit them from driving. Employers and medical review officers also will be required to report information about drivers who test positive for drugs or alcohol; refuse to comply with drug and alcohol testing; or participate in the return-to-duty drug and alcohol rehabilitation process.

Federal regulations require employers to conduct pre-employment drug testing, in addition to random testing. Employees who test positive are not allowed to perform safety-sensitive functions, which includes driving a CMV.

“An overwhelming majority of the nation’s freight travels by truck, and millions of passengers reach their destinations by bus, so creating a central, comprehensive, and searchable database of commercial motor vehicle drivers who violate the federal drug and alcohol testing requirements has been a departmental priority,” Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said in a Dec. 2 press release. “This system will be a new technological tool that will make our roads safer.”

The final rule is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 4, with a compliance deadline slated for January 2020.