Hair follicle testing allows testing for drug use for up to a year previously though the trucking industry says it will only test back 90 days. To do the test, anyone trained to do so may take 50 to 120 strands of hair, preferably from the head but other body hair will work also, and then seal those hairs into an envelope and send it to the laboratory for testing. The follicle test is thought of as more accurate than urine testing being able to detect substances dating back 1 month for every 1/2 inch of hair tested. Drugs tested for by federal mandate are Cocaine (Cocaine and Benzoylecgonine), Marijuana, Opiates (Codeine, Morphine and 6-Monacteyl Morphine), Methamphetamine (Methamphetamine/Amphetamine & Ecstasy), and Phencyclidine (PCP).

A few of the reasons stated for adapting hair follicle testing over the common urine testing are that the company can see drug use further back in a person’s history, the hair can be collected at the business instead of an employee going to the clinic thereby saving time and productivity, and increased highway safety. A few people are concerned about urine testing due to hygiene concerns where they may urinate on their hands while using the cup and not able to wash their hands until they return to the lab.

In June of 2011, Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute (NTI) said that carriers who have adopted hair follicle testing have had a 10% increase in applicants failing the hair follicle test though they passed the urine test. Klemp went on to say that in his opinion, hair follicle testing would also lead to a further driver shortage. “Roughly 25 percent of the driver work force has exited the industry during the past 10 years as a result of demographic and health issues, Klemp said. The NTI, which Klemp founded 16 years ago, conducts periodic studies of truck driver availability, compensation, and turnover, among other topics.”

Urine testing for drugs costs approximately $40 a test, hair follicle testing costs approximately $150.00.
There are drawbacks to hair follicle testing. If a root is attached to the hair collected, DNA on the person may be obtained. According to DrugTestingNetwork.com, hair tests provide “nearly twice the number of positives as urine testing,” but they are not infallible because “after a drug is used, it takes about 7-10 days for the hair containing the drug to grow out of the scalp enough to be cut. Therefore, the hair test will not include drugs used in the week prior to the test.”

False returns can occur, According to a U.S. Army study, the amount of secondhand cannabis smoke needed to cause a false positive result (failure) is quite large indeed, and would require being sealed in an unventilated car or small room filled with marijuana smokers for several hours. Hair testing however is a different matter, particularly with passive exposure to crack/cocaine, which can deposit onto hair and be readily incorporated into it. Though for cannabis, typically only metabolites (produced by the body and thus not found in smoke) are tested rather than THC, so failure is unlikely to result from non-extreme passive exposure.

From EHow.com: “Medical research described in the publication titled “Drug Testing In Hair” reveals a potential bias that appears to be inherent in hair-follicle testing. According to these findings, hair belonging to people of Caucasian ancestry, particularly blond hair, does not retain drug metabolites as well as that belonging to people of other ancestries. Such findings open the possibility of future litigation as the previous drug practices of non-Caucasians would be detectable and punishable for longer periods of time.”

While drug testing has been around since Ronald Reagan enacted drug testing in the workplace laws for safety related employees such as airline pilots and truck drivers and will continue to be done in pre-employment and random scenarios, drug testing has spread throughout industry and business. Many feel that drug testing is invasive and goes into a person’s private lives too far. It is a moot point, illegal drug use is just that, illegal, it does not matter how a person is found out; though I would rather pee in a cup rather than lose 50 to 120 strands of hair each time my name came up.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

“This agreement represents the shared commitment of both the United States and China to enhance global peace and security by working to prevent nuclear smuggling,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. “Preventing illicit transfers of nuclear materials is a critical part of NNSA’s efforts to implement President Obama’s goal of securing vulnerable nuclear material around the world. The success of this program is due in no small part to continued and future cooperation and support from partners such as the People’s Republic of China.”

NNSA is working to expand and strengthen nonproliferation efforts throughout East Asia. Through its Second Line of Defense (SLD) program, NNSA will provide radiation detection equipment and support the development of training materials for use at the Qinhuangdao Training Center. The radiation detection training facility at the Qinhuangdao Training Center will be the first of its kind in the region.

This agreement will complement ongoing cooperative efforts established by a 2005 MOU to combat nuclear and radiological smuggling. The 2005 agreement supports NNSA’s Megaports Initiative, which is working to equip the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai with radiation detection equipment.

NNSA’s SLD program works collaboratively with foreign governments at land border crossings, airports and seaports to install specialized radiation detection equipment, mobile radiation detection equipment, and associated communications equipment. Through its SLD program, NNSA also provides training to host government law enforcement officers and other personnel to detect smuggled nuclear and other radioactive materials.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

The CSA will be rolled out to states throughout the next year. New Jersey was part of the testing on the new initiatives, with half of the trucking companies using the new guidelines during 2010 and half serving as a control group to determine the effectiveness of the new rules. According to Federal Motor Carrier Association statistics, there were over 3,200 people injured in New Jersey truck accidents in 2009. The number of fatal truck accidents has remained relatively stable over the past ten years, which led to a renewed emphasis toward improving safety.

Taking a Comprehensive Picture

The Safety Management System (SMS) is the measurement component of the CSA. It will be used to examine a carrier’s safety records using the BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) point system. A point value of 1-10 is assigned to violations, with 10 being the most serious. BASICs measures seven different categories. More recent violations will weigh higher than older incidents. The BASICs categories that will measure the fleet include:
1) Unsafe driving – speeding, other traffic violations
2) Fatigued driving – driving too many hours, not keeping proper logs
3) Driver fitness – driver must be properly certified
4) Alcohol or controlled substance use – including over-the-counter medication used improperly
5) Vehicle maintenance – the equipment must meet regulatory standards
6) Improper loading/unsecured cargo – drivers will be held responsible for any loads they carry
7) Prior accident history/accident indicators – checking driving history of employees

Every month the carriers’ safety records will be examined, looking back over the preceding 24 month period. Carriers that show deficiencies in certain BASICs categories will be notified by the FMCA. If necessary, the agency and the carrier may work together to form a plan to improve performance. If the violations are severe and the plan is unsuccessful, it is possible that the carrier may be ordered off the road. Drivers will also be measured using the BASICs criteria, but will not receive an individual safety rating made available to the public. Driver data will be examined for 36 months instead of 24. The numbers will be used by FMCA when investigating individual carriers.

Addressing the Causes of Truck Accidents

There is no one single cause of truck accidents. Drivers may be speeding or fatigued. Trucks may not be safe for highway travel. The CSA does not attempt to solely eliminate one issue, but rather forces drivers and carriers to focus on the big picture. For truck drivers, major changes are coming. Speeding has long been a cause of truck accidents. Under the old rules, if a driver was given a warning for speeding, this did not count against the driver or the company. Under the CSA, a warning is treated just like a citation. There is no difference between the two for BASICs purposes. Drivers will also be held responsible for their cargo, even if they did not load the truck themselves.

Carriers and drivers must also be sure that their 18-wheelers are properly maintained. Drivers need to be able to control their trucks. The CSA is placing a special emphasis on the condition of a vehicle’s tires. Tire violations will rate much higher than other truck equipment. Tires must have the proper tread, and carriers must replace any tires that are damaged. In the past, these were treated as minor violations, and usually did not result in any agency action. These violations will now remain on a carrier’s record and could result in penalties if not resolved.

Impact of the New Rules

The agency feels that the CSA will help to remove unsafe drivers from behind the wheel. With carriers having more access to driver information during the screening process, it is hoped that companies will be encouraged to employ drivers that have safe driving histories. Existing employees will also receive extensive training on compliance with the new initiatives.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, working with an experienced attorney can help you examine the carrier’s safety history. Determining if the organization is in compliance with the CSA can be important to your case. Carriers will want to resolve the matter quickly with as little impact as possible to their bottom line. You will want to know what options are available to you as you recover from your injuries. With the potential for serious injuries, or the wrongful death of a loved one, it is essential to learn the safety record of the company involved in the accident.

Article provided by Law Offices of Michael P. Burakoff, P.A.
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It is autumn. Truckers change with the seasons like the trees. We gather up our heavier clothing and put it on the truck, hang tire chains, start adding fuel additives and check to make sure the hot water valves are turned on to our heaters. Those of us with bug screens for the radiator will be digging the winter covers out. Smart drivers will be adding their winter supplies to the truck…non perishable foods and water, extra blankets, ice melt and of course winter boots.

Autumn brings on some extra driving challenges. Here are a few to watch out for:

School buses and walking children

Deer crossing the road

Morning frost on the roadways

Leaves piled up in wooded areas on the highway, wet leaves on the pavement can be slick as ice

Frost on the windshield

Ice fog

Freezing rain

Halloween pranksters

Autumn brings Halloween time and that holiday seems to bring out the worst in some people. One must watch overpasses more carefully than normal for dropped or hanging objects. Two of the biggest scares I have ever had driving concerned Halloween time. I was approaching an underpass at night both times. The first time I was driving a semi and someone thought it would be funny to drop a scarecrow off the overpass as I started under it. I thought someone was committing suicide and locked it down. Luckily the road was dry and no one was close behind me. I hit the scarecrow dead on and you can imagine the relief combined with anger I felt when it exploded in a burst of straw instead of body parts!

The other incident was when I was helping out a friend by driving her hotshot rig for a couple of weeks and was a lot more dangerous. It was a one-ton pickup with a 40’ flatbed trailer. As I went under an overpass on I-40 near Jackson TN, someone had hung a large steel nut from fishing line from the overpass. It took out my passenger side windshield splattering glass all over the inside of the truck. I was lucky and wasn’t injured, but it could have been different.

Many pumpkins end up being thrown off of overpasses and can become a hazard not only from the impact of hitting a windshield, but can also cause slickness on the pavement possibly causing a tire to spin. Some think it funny to have a ghost attached to a rope and allow it to swing out at a driver as they go under an overpass or under low hanging trees. It isn’t the imagined ghosts and goulies one has to watch out for.

Anytime over pass tips: Watch the overpasses as you approach. If you see someone suspicious on the bridge, switch lanes, slow down and keep watching. If someone does throw something off at you, or if you observe something hanging down, by all means dial 911. Many people have been hurt or killed by thrown or hanging objects from overpasses.

Deer crossing the road kill many people each year and cost untold vehicle damage. I hit a big buck just a week or two ago that took out the grill on the truck. If you see a deer on the side of the road, slow down. If it runs out in front of you…HIT THE DEER! The action that kills many people is swerving to avoid the deer and they end up losing control of the vehicle. Remember, if you see one deer, it is probable that there is another one somewhere around.

School buses are everywhere this time of year and on through to spring. Kids run out around them to get to their houses without taking the time to check traffic, assuming that everyone is stopped. Remember that you must stop for a stopped school bus…many states require all lanes to stop. Use your flashers when slowing down and while stopped, you may be blocking another’s view of the bus. Also remember that the driver has many little distractions and may make a mistake…be alert and help keep the kids safe. Kids are walking to and from school this time of year also. Watch out for them!

We all know how kids might engage in horseplay and accidentally push another kid off the sidewalk or side of the road. Many kids walk home in the dusk after sports practice too…a smaller child is harder to see in low light conditions.

Autumn brings many good things, football, glorious colors and cooler weather. Enjoy the views from your windshields as you safely navigate through the autumn scenery.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

FMCSA Regulations on Operation of Large Commercial Vehicles

According to FMCSA rules, drivers may not operate their vehicles when their attention is impaired by fatigue, illness or any other cause that makes operation of a vehicle unsafe. More detailed regulations regarding the number of hours that may be logged per day are found at 49 C.F.R. Part 395. The use of drugs or alcohol is prohibited. All speed limits must be observed. Vehicle operating and safety equipment must be inspected and in proper order. A vehicle’s cargo must be properly secured and inspected before the trip starts and again within the first 50 miles and every further 150 miles, every three hours or after every change of driver status, unless the vehicle is sealed or the cargo inaccessible.

Buses, cargo tank motor vehicles and cargo vehicles carrying listed hazardous substances must stop prior to railroad crossings and check for oncoming trains. These vehicles must not change gears while crossing the tracks. All other commercial motor vehicles must be driven at a speed that allows them to stop before reaching the tracks.

Commercial motor vehicles must be operated with extreme caution when adverse conditions, such as snow and ice, adversely affect visibility or traction. If these conditions become sufficiently dangerous, operation of the vehicle must be stopped. Drivers must wear seat belts.

Vehicles stopped for emergencies must use hazard signal flashers, reflective triangles and flares. Vehicle lamps and reflectors may not be obstructed by cargo or dirt. Drivers are prohibited from fueling vehicles with the motor running or with any source of ignition nearby. Commercial vehicles may carry no more than 119 gallons of reserve diesel fuel in a metal or plastic container. Drivers are also prohibited from picking up unauthorized passengers, using the vehicle when carbon monoxide is detected or using any open flame heater when the vehicle is in motion. Radar detectors are also prohibited.

FMCSA Regulation Violations Can Be Evidence of Negligence

Violation of any FMCSA regulations may result in citations from law enforcement. More importantly, violation of these federal regulations may be used as evidence of negligence in any civil lawsuit brought by persons injured or on behalf of those killed due to the negligent or reckless operation of a commercial motor vehicle. If you have been severely injured or a loved one was killed in a tractor-trailer accident, contact an experienced trucking accidents lawyer to discuss your options.

Article provided by Robinette Legal Group, PLLC
Visit us at www.robinettelaw.com

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The two pilots were flying a 747-400 en route to Cologne, Germany, when it crashed near Dubai International Airport shortly after takeoff.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and all of us at UPS extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of both of these crewmembers,” said UPS CEO Scott Davis. “Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them during this difficult time.”

The UPS Family Assistance Team is working with the victims’ families to help them in their time of need.

Captain Lampe, 48, has been with UPS since 1995. First Officer Bell, 38, has been with UPS since 2006. Both crewmembers flew out of UPS’s Anchorage, Alaska domicile, or pilot base.

The aircraft, tail number N571UP, was just three years old, entering UPS service off the Boeing production line in September 2007. The airframe had flown 9977 hours, completing 1764 takeoffs and landings. It was up to date on all maintenance, having just completed a major inspection in June 2010.

UPS owns 12 747-400s, eight of which are new, and four of which have been purchased from other carriers and adapted for UPS use. The aircraft, which has a payload capacity of nearly 258,600 pounds, is used on long-range international routes, such as the regular Dubai-Cologne routing.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is dispatching an aviation investigation team to assist the General Civil Aviation Authority (GACC) of the United Arab Emirates in the crash investigation. The GCAA will take the lead on the investigation and release all information on the progress of the investigation.

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman has designated senior air safety investigator Bill English as the U.S. accredited representative. His team will include NTSB specialists in the areas of human performance, fire, operations and systems. The team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, UPS, GE and the Independent Pilots Association.

A UPS team has arrived in Dubai at this time and will cooperate with authorities in the investigation.

“We established an internal command center within minutes of learning of this tragedy. It will be staffed around the clock with experts from every part of our operation,” said UPS Airlines President Bob Lekites. “Safe, secure operations are our top priorities for our employees, our customers, and our public stakeholders.”

For the latest information on this incident, visit www.pressroom.ups.com.

Source = Business Wire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

The enhanced patrols will be a joint effort between the state patrol and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Five hundred state patrol officers, 24 members of the traffic squad and the DMV squad will be looking out for dangerous driving activities by truck drivers.

In a recent press release, Gov. Rell announced that during the first two weeks of the crackdown, more than 1,200 citations were issued to truck drivers for a variety of infractions. The Governor’s press release noted that the most prominent citations issued over the initial two week span of the program included:
- 211 Overweight Truck Violations
- 88 Speeding/Reckless Driving Violations
- 77 Violations for Defective Lights
- 70 Logbook Violations
- 65 Oversize Vehicle Violations
- 61 Registration Violations
- 53 Driver’s License Violations
- 47 Violations for Defective Brakes and Tires

Governor Rell also asked the state highway patrol to review 14 accidents between April 10 and July 10 involving semi-trucks. In nine of those accidents, the truck driver was cited for an unsafe driving practice, such as speeding or an improper lane change. The Department of Motor Vehicles notes that two of the investigations remain open.

Driver Fatigue a Common Cause

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, driver fatigue is a contributing factor in 30 to 40 percent of all trucking accidents. Whether from lack of sleep or driving too many consecutive hours, studies have indicated that fatigued driving is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

The crackdown was announced by the Governor the morning after a truck accident caused the shutdown of I-84. In her announcement, Gov. Rell indicated that the driver, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, appeared to have fallen asleep.

Though the Governor stated that most truckers are safe and follow proper rules of

the road, she promised to use this initiative to hold those who do not drive safely accountable for their actions.

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When these trucks rollover, the potential for serious harms only increases. And while rollovers account for a small percentage of accidents involving tractor-trailers, these accidents disproportionately result in fatalities.

Trucks designed to transport liquids, known as tanker trucks, are especially susceptible to rollovers because of their high center of gravity. While only six percent of all large trucks are tanker trucks, they account for almost a third of all fatal commercial truck rollover crashes, according to the National Transit Safety Board (NTSB). Moreover, these trucks often carry hazardous materials, which can elevate the dangers associated with a crash.

Prompted by a serious crash last year involving a tanker truck carrying propane, NTSB convened hearings earlier this month to review current measures in place to prevent rollover accidents.

The hearings included testimony from a variety of sources, including a representative from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Nathaniel Beuse. According to Beuse, simple measures could be taken to reduce these accidents. Mandating stability control systems for trucks could prevent nearly 3,500 rollover accidents, avoid nearly 4,400 injuries and save more than 100 lives each year.

Essentially, the systems use sensors to monitor when weight is shifting (which happens often when carrying liquids). When the cargo is shifting, the onboard computer overrides the driver and applies brakes to the wheels as necessary to prevent the vehicle from tipping.

These stability control systems are already commercially available, and have been for about five years. However, in the absence of a government mandate, truck owners and trucking companies have been slow to adopt this technology.

Mr. Beuse informed the NTSB hearing board that the NHTSA is currently reviewing the potential benefits of mandating these systems, and is planning to complete this review by the end of the year. New regulations may be implemented as early as 2012.

Article provided by David P. Beeson & Associates
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We are inundated with statistics from all sides about how many people are involved in large truck crashes and how truckers are always at fault. Organizations are formed to lobby for more regulations to be put on trucks and truckers using those same statistics to fuel sympathetic public opinion, and then the general media jump on the bandwagon with their fear mongering stories about all of the people killed by truck drivers. Most of us truckers just take the media reports and the statistics given by the anti-truck lobbyists as gospel; should we though?

Though statistics on crashes involving all sorts of vehicles are available from several government agencies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is likely the most comprehensive site with statistics about all vehicles. Comparing the statistics for 2006 and 2007 makes for an interesting read while all the statistics plainly show that truckers are not the highway killers we are thought of being.

In 2007 there were 4,808 fatalities involving large trucks. 802 of those fatalities were the drivers of the truck; 502 were truck drivers in single vehicle crashes, 300 were truck drivers in multi-vehicle crashes. 3,601 were occupants in other vehicles, 405 were non-occupants (pedestrians and bicyclists). The numbers were slightly higher in 2006; 5,027 total fatalities, 805 were truck drivers with 500 in single vehicle accidents and 305 in multi-vehicle crashes. 3,797 were occupants in other vehicles with 425 being non-occupants. This means there was a decrease in fatalities involving large trucks of 4.4% between 2006 and 2007.

On the other hand, car and light truck crashes account for many more fatalities each year, in 2007, there were 28,933 fatalities down 5.7% from 2006. Motorcycle accidents accounted for 5,154 fatalities in 2007 up from 2006 where there were 4,837 fatalities. Alcohol was involved in 12,998 fatalities in 2007 down 3.7% from a total of 13,491 in 2006.

Injuries from traffic crashes provide high numbers. Passenger cars and light trucks; 2007: 2,491,000, 2006: 2,575,000 (yes, those numbers are millions), against the amount of people injured in traffic crashes involving large trucks: 23,000 for both 2007 and 2006 (this does not differentiate whether it was truck drivers injured or other type vehicle occupants). Motorcycles causing injury again come in with high numbers; 2007: 103,000 against 88,000 in 2006.

In a 33 month long study done by the FMCSA for congress from 2001 to 2003, statistics were collected from 24 sites in 17 states. These statistics were then extrapolated out to represent all crashes involving large trucks during that time period. Interestingly, the 967 actual accidents studied ended up representing a supposed number of 144,000 accidents for statistical purposes. The primary focus of this study was to find what caused most accidents involving trucks.

“Driver recognition and decision errors were the most often cited reason for both trucks and passenger vehicles. Truck drivers, however, were coded less frequently for both driving performance errors and non-performance problems (e.g., asleep, sick, incapacitated) than passenger vehicle drivers. In crashes between trucks and passenger vehicles, driving too fast for conditions and fatigue were important factors cited for both drivers. However, fatigue was coded twice as often for passenger vehicle drivers and speeding more often for truck drivers.” The study also found that illegal drug use and alcohol were very rarely found as factors in the truck drivers tested after a crash, though it was often a factor found in the drivers of passenger vehicles.

Looking at the numbers that are available easily on the internet one wonders why truckers and the trucking industry are being so maligned and regulated to death; we never hear or read a story about the millions killed and injured in crashes that do not involve trucks each year. Just looking at the difference for 2007 between the fatalities between crashes involving large trucks and crashes with only passenger vehicles, 4,808 and 28,933 respectively, then the number of motorcycle and alcohol related fatalities, 5,154 and 12,998 again respectively, it would appear that truckers and the trucking industry are being singled out for some purpose, some would say unfairly. Fatalities involving large trucks are much lower than for any other type of vehicle, yet we do not see laws affecting motorcycles or cars being pushed by anti-truck lobbyists.

Can we improve our numbers, yes, of course we can, there is always room for improvement and any death caused by us is unacceptable. However, the numbers show that we are professionals for the most part and do our best to do no harm. The numbers also show that we have something to be proud of instead of hanging our heads in shame as some think we ought to do. When you think of all the millions of miles driven by truckers, we are not doing so badly after all, it is all in your perspective.

Comment from Sandy Long, I wrote this article in early 2008, the statistics have remained fairly stagnent since then.
ladygodiva1953@yahoo.com

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

“If you are a commercial driver or carrier operating in violation of federal drug and alcohol laws, we will remove you from our roadways,” said Secretary LaHood. “Parents deserve to know their children are being driven by bus drivers who are drug and alcohol free, and every motorist deserves to feel confident that the drivers of large trucks and buses are safe and sober.”

During the two week sweep, FMCSA strike force investigators examined the drug and alcohol safety records of commercial drivers employed by bus and truck companies, including school bus drivers, interstate passenger carriers, hazardous material transporters and general freight long-haul trucking companies. Their goals were to identify motor carriers in violation of federal drug and alcohol testing requirements and to remove from the road commercial truck and bus drivers who jump from carrier to carrier to evade federal drug and alcohol testing and reporting requirements.

“FMCSA is committed to ensuring that only safe commercial drivers and carriers are allowed to operate,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Our annual drug and alcohol strike force is just one of the ways we weed out those ‘bad actors’ and make our roads safer for everyone.”

The 109 commercial drivers identified in the sweep face the prospect of a monetary fine and being barred from operating a commercial motor vehicle for failing to adhere to federal drug and alcohol regulations. Additionally, 175 commercial carriers face pending enforcement actions for violations, such as using a driver who has tested positive for illegal drugs and for not instituting a drug and alcohol testing program. Both drivers and carriers will have an opportunity to contest the alleged violations and the amount of the civil penalties.

Source = DOT

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