TCA Says Drug Test Result Sharing Should Be Done By Government, Not Carriers

The Truckload Carriers Assn., while it supports the sharing of driver drug test results, believes a government proposal to do so would be a burden on the trucking industry.

This concern was voiced in comments filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation by TCA President Robert Hirsch.
In July, the government asked for comments on the feasibility and merits of employers and Medical Review Officers reporting a driver's positive drug test results to the State agency that issued the driver's Commercial Driver's License.
The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 directed the U.S. Department of Transportation to study the feasibility and merits of requiring Medical Review Officers and employers to report verified positive drug test results for CDL drivers to the state that issued the driver's license. In addition to the reporting requirement, prospective employers would be required to query the licensing state for any records of positive drug tests before hiring a driver.
According to Hirsch, the association supports the sharing of a driver's past drug test results to prevent substance-abusing drivers from skipping from carrier to carrier undetected. However, Hirsch said, "should the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conclude that the transmission of test result information to the State licensing agencies is feasible and warranted, the responsibility for transmitting such information should be that of FMCSA, not industry." Furthermore, according to Hirsch, "the blanket release prohibition needs to be eliminated."