The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that it will be significantly reducing the rate for random drug testing next year.
Currently, carriers are obligated to ensure that at least 50% of their drivers undergo random screenings for controlled substances every year. It seems that the screenings have been an effective deterrent since the positive rate has been under 1% every year since 2011. According to the FMCSA, the program has been so effective that it’s time to relax a bit.
Federal regulations allow a reduction in testing after two consecutive years of a positive rate under 1%, but the FMCSA elected to maintain the previous testing regimen for longer in order to gather more data. Now they are satisfied that they can safely cut the testing rate in half. Starting in 2016, carriers will only have to subject a minimum of 25% of their drivers to random drug screenings.
Many carriers will no doubt jump at the chance to cut their drug testing in half in order to save some money, but some safety advocates question whether the reduction makes sense – after all, if the system is working, why change it?
Since the rule only states a minimum and places no cap on the amount of testing that can be done, other carriers are even debating whether or not they will maintain their current testing rate.
Shortage of drivers & they make adjustments. Attention Washington stop with all your burdensome regulations. Your discouraging people from a great career.
For 30 year’s I had to deal with drug testing and fail several. Now that I’m retired they reduce the number of random drug testing. Never the less I had a great thirty years.
I think they need to reexamine the regulations on doing the drug testing. I’M VERY PISSED OFF!!!! I has doing a rehire drug test. I couldn’t go right away but i did finely go have the little cup she dumped it saying not enough. I finely went a 2nd time. She did the same thing. But was also told i could not have any more to drink or she would fail me & i had only so many hours to go or she fail me. SO I GOT FAILED AS I CAN NOT PISS ON COMMAND. BUT I NOW HAVE TO DO DRUG PROGRAM COASTING ME A LOT OF MONEY! & MARK ON MY RECORD! AM NOT A DRUG USER!!!!
That would be half little cup.
I fell behind on truck payments lost 13 days of work. She said i refused. But as i did go. I did piss twice. I sat there till time run out. But marked as a refusal. WTF HOW IS THAT A REFUSAL???? I call it being told to piss on command. I have never in 30 yrs in driving ever have a positive
reexamine ??? … that’s what they have done … and you Geri , need to be able to understand and follow simple rules ….
your inability to give an adequate urine sample would indicate vast inabilities in many other areas ….
I had a lady at a TEMP AGENCY drug test me with a store bought test kit. I was taking a non narcotic pain killer at the time, which showed up as heroin. (Don’t do heroin or any other drugs)
Subsequently i didn’t get hired and later i found out she was attempting to put this on my commercial record. I had to SUE to keep that from happening, as it wasn’t a legit testing platform.
There are ways to fight it, but like you said, it costs a lot of money and time
If you’ve been driving 30 years then you know what makes you pee the fastest. Most drivers know what their trigger is. If you can’t drink enough in the allotted time to make you fill up the cup then I suggest you see a Dr.
Yes GARY I read street signs fine. Born and bred in the U.S.A. VERY WHITE GIRL AND VERY MUCH AMERICAN. who can’t read a picture. Lol
Time to lawyer up and go after the pee test gate keeper…
What happened to you is plain wrong. Go talk to your Union steward, if you’ve got one.
You can not be given a refusal of drug testing. The rule is you have two hours after notification of said drug testing to the location of the determined drug testing site.
You knew what she meant. This is supposed to be a support of common site. Do you really have that much of an ego trip to be nasty. I thought we were all in the same boat here I guess or not
I apologize in advance for the typos. I to worry about the drug testing as this allows those who do do drugs to continue and get away with it. At least be respectful of others on the site
Oh really? I learned something about these “mandatory” randoms these companies were required to do. I was sent to do a random every month, sometimes twice. I got really upset and asked them if my name was the only one in their random selection. My DM explained the law and told me that I’m known to be “clean” so I’m a safe choice to keep their rating good. So much for FMCSA gathering of “positive” data.
The system is broken, but lack of urine is due to lack of consumption of fluids. The next time you are given notice that you have to yes, drink a liter of water in 10 minutes, then wait 45 minutes to test. In other words flood your kidneys and it won’t be an issue.
Oops, that was supposed to say “the next time you have to test.”
“Now they (the FMCSA) are satisfied they can safely cut the testing rate”
Well, as long as the FMCSA is satisfied, we’re all safe and sound.
10-4
I find this rather humorous.. The first article is about the FMCSA cutting drug testing by half, the next couple of articles is about a trucker who wrecks his truck, hijacks another trucker, when he gets caught a short time later, the hijacker admits to have been on meth and cocaine.I don’t know what to think.
I think everyone should be test. Also, the people in Washington should be tested every month!
If you ask me, people in Washington are doing too much drug testing. I think they bring them around at cocktail parties on hor dorves plates.
Says congressman #1 to burocrat #7, “have you tried the Cristal Meth yet? It’s FAAAAAABulous!”
Might explain some of our “leadership” these days.
That’s ridiculous to lower the number of drug test, not only do they want younger driver’s, they allow idiots on the road from CDL Mills and now they’ll have drug addicts out here also, absolutely ridiculous.
Unfounded observation you make. At one time there was NO drug testing for truckers and the roads and drivers were a lot safer than now. Explain that , please.
They let me drink water, coffee, and a Coke. At first the sample wasn’t big enough. I said wait a bit and I’ll piss a little more. No good. I guess it has to be done all at one time. I sat around at the clinic on overtime for a couple of hours and then ran the cup over full. Ask and yet shall receive ? .
Wouldn’t be too hard to lighten up on drivers who have consistently passed for many years and concentrate on higher risk drivers (IE: newer drivers and those with a certain number of convictions).
But, this is the Government…it will never be fair nor rational…
You’d think on the truckers report forum, considering most of the threads are about drug tests anyway that this site would jump for joy over less drug tests. More derelicts in the industry! Yay!!!!
I think drug tests are BS! What a driver does on his own free time is his business. I do agree that any at fault accident should be tested, as well as pre-employment, but I feel they should test for intoxication, not use. That joint somebody smoked Friday night did not cause an accident the following week. Before the holy rollers come down on me I drove for thirteen years, never failed a test because I did not do drugs. I don’t understand this mentality that drinking is ok, but marijuana use in your free time and you are a piece of dirt and shouldn’t be on the road.