Following BASIC safety procedures while on the road doesn’t seem like a very big deal. If you’re a truck driver, however, BASIC safety violations can keep you from getting behind the wheel. According to statistics put out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), five million truckers share the road with more than 250 Read more »
Compliance
Sorting Out the DOT Consortium Option
The Department of Transportation (DOT) oversees the trucking industry by regulating the way it operates at every level. That said, if you own a trucking company, you know it’s important to hire safe drivers. And, if you’re an owner-operator it’s likely that you have an impeccable driving record. The DOT mandates that employers randomly drug Read more »
Missing Clearinghouse Deadline Puts Many in Noncompliance
The deadline has passed to submit annual queries or to register drivers with the FMCSA Clearinghouse. Employers in the trucking industry who hire CDL drivers are mandated to meet that requirement. If it slipped your mind, the deadline was January 6th, so if you’ve got drivers out on the road, you’re out of compliance. That Read more »
DOT COVID-19 Guidance Update
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 »
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 »