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FMCSA Doubles Commercial Driver Drug Testing Rate

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has raised the random drug testing rate for controlled substances for commercial drivers from 25 percent to 50 percent.

The change went into effect Jan. 1, an announcement published in the Federal Register said.

The FMCSA said it is required to raise the minimum annual random testing rate when it receives reports indicating that the positive rate is equal to or greater than 1%.

“Based on the results of the 2018 FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey, the positive rate for controlled substances random testing increased to 1%,” it said.

“Therefore, the agency will increase the controlled substances minimum annual percentage rate for random controlled substances testing to 50% of the average number of driver positions.”

The minimum rate for random alcohol testing will remain at 10%, it said.

In Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance supports a zero-tolerance approach. In Ontario, there is a zero-tolerance regime for commercial vehicle drivers for drug and alcohol use. CTA continues to monitor the situation in the post legal cannabis era and is working with governments on educating about the impacts and resources on how to implement proper drug and alcohol policies in the workplace.

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