Fmcsa Drug Testing Program- Substance Testing for Commercial Drivers

Anyone with a CDL, commercial driver‘s license, is subject to FMCSA drug testing procedures and regulations. A CDL is required for a variety of vehicles and many companies that use CDL drivers must have an approved FMCSA drug testing program in place to comply with federal regulations.

 

The FMCSA is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and like the FAA they are part of the Department of Transportation. Any driver who has a CDL is subject to the rules set by the FMCSA, with complies with the DOT standard as well as extra rules. A CDL is required for driving a semi, tow truck, bus, limousines for a company and vans for companies or businesses that hold more than eight people, and many of the big equipment trucks. A CDL or certificate of some sort may be required to operate emergency vehicles depending on the state, as it is state regulation that decides that.

 

Regardless of the vehicle, there are very strict rules set up by the FMCSA drug testing laws that are designed to protect people as much as possible. By the weight standards set forth, most of the vehicles that require a CDL to operate weight 10,000 pounds or more. Even the big diesel trucks that seem so popular nowadays weigh only a few thousand pounds, and very rarely over 5,000 pounds at that.  A fully loaded semi has the top maximum weight of 80,000 pounds; due to their unwieldy weights and handling, most of these vehicles are dangerous enough on their own. Adding drugs or alcohol to the mix is a recipe for disaster.

 

Even foreign companies must comply with FMCSA drug testing regulations if they have drivers on American roads. They require testing for both drugs and alcohol as both have mental and physical affects that can put many lives in danger. Employers must have an approved FMCSA drug testing program that can submit any reports involving anything to do with either substance straight to the federal government. Supervisors are required to attend training on both and make information available to the employees. The employees also have to be aware of the rules, which they must obtain through their supervisor in some way.

 

As mentioned, the FMCSA has stricter rules for CDL drivers than the DOT does. For return-to-duty and follow-up testing, the driver must submit to six random tests within 12 months. Companies with an FMCSA drug testing program that performs random testing must test the equivalent of 10% of their driving fleet every year. If a driver violates the rules regarding alcohol, they have to attend substance abuse counseling that must be documented and sent in to the FMCSA. Another oddity is that medically prescribed amphetamines and opiates such as morphine are not allowed at all. Considering the affects these substances have, there is no reason they should be operating such dangerous equipment while under their influence.

To learn more for your CDL-reliant company, visit Fmcsa drug testing and Fmcsa drug testing program for more information.