FMCSA announces drug & alcohol clearinghouse final rule

Excerpt from Transport Topics article:

Federal regulatory officials on Dec. 2 announced a final rule that will create a clearinghouse that would track when a commercial driver fails a drug or alcohol test and require carriers to check an applicant against the clearinghouse database.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the database will allow employers to “follow” drivers, regardless of how many times they change jobs, seek employment or apply for a commercial driver license in a different state.

The new regulation, mandated by the MAP-21 transportation law, will take effect on Jan. 6, 2020.

“FMCSA believes three years is necessary to provide the agency time to design and implement the information technology systems needed to facilitate the reporting of results and violations of the drug and alcohol testing rules and the responses to queries from employers and prospective employers,” the agency said. “Also, this period of time will ensure that stakeholders have sufficient time to prepare for this rule.”

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