Last March, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) provided guidance regarding how to handle drug and alcohol testing safety-sensitive employees during the pandemic. The DOT announced this week that the guidelines remain effective through June 30, 2021. Updates announced on April 4th added instruction for Substance Abuse Read more »
Compliance
FMCSA Clearinghouse Violations: Marijuana Tops the List
On June 10, 2020, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration) released the first Clearinghouse violations report. The five-page report details the findings of data gathered between January 1 and June 1 of this year. The report provides useful information for the trucking industry. It tracks drug and alcohol violations incurred by safety-sensitive drivers nationwide. Read more »
DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Violations
When the DOT inspector walks through the door, your office personnel most likely bend over backward to provide them with anything they request. Even though you know everything’s in order, you probably can’t help but wonder if they will find any violations. There’s no question that when you’re a part of the safety-sensitive industry, the Read more »
DOT Drug Testing Guidance Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak
On Monday, March 23rd, the DOT released compliance guidelines for DOT-regulated employers, employees, and service agents to follow during the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. The transportation industry is playing a vital role in reducing the negative impact this disease placed on our nation. That said, the DOT realizes there is a need to Read more »
FMCSA Clearinghouse Releases Reminder for SAPs
The FMCSA Clearinghouse has been up and running at full speed for over a month now. However, not everyone who needs to register at the site to report activity pertaining to drug and alcohol violations has done so yet—Substance Abuse Professionals included. That became apparent when the FMCSA sent out a reminder for SAPs last Read more »
Doctor’s Orders—Prescription Medication in the Workplace
When you consider the fact that on average 46% of Americans are taking one or more prescription drugs in a month’s time, it’s common knowledge that they’re in the workplace. Most employees taking prescription medication don’t suffer any ill effects from the drugs they’re physicians prescribe. However, what about those that do? Employees suffering from Read more »
FMCSA Clearinghouse—Jan. 20 Updates
The FMCSA Clearinghouse training session in Atlanta, Georgia provided employers and others in attendance with information regarding the resolutions to site issues users have experienced to-date. They’ve included the inability to access the site, time-outs, and the site sometimes crashed completely. The discussion addressed on-going problems too. We’re sharing what we know so far. A Read more »
FMCSA Clearinghouse—What You Need to Know for 2020
Things got off to a pretty rough start. Still, the FMCSA Clearinghouse is going to be a valuable resource for employers. The goal of the database is to provide employers with up-to-date information pertaining to outstanding drug and alcohol violations. The nationwide database will eliminate a couple of long-standing problems that have allowed drivers to Read more »