FMCSA keeps truckers’ random drug testing rate at 50 percent

Washington – The yearly minimum rate for random drug testing of commercial drivers will stay at 50 percent in 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The testing applies to workers in “safety-sensitive positions,” such as tractor trailer and bus drivers, FMCSA announced on Dec. 31. The agency made its determination based on information from lab results, a 2012 drug and alcohol testing survey that polled about 2,000 motor carriers, and other investigations.

According to FMCSA:

• Positive drug test results recorded after an initial positive test increased by 4.1 percent from 2011 to 2012.
• “Reasonable suspicion” positive test results increased from 5.6 percent in 2010 to 15.7 percent in 2011 and 37.2 percent in 2012.
• Positive test results reported by independent Health and Human Services-certified laboratories rose to 97,332 in 2012 from 95,427 in 2011.
• Serious drug and alcohol testing violations occurred in 24 percent of recent compliance investigations.
• A 2014 strike force investigation identified 138 enforcement cases against carriers for violations involving drivers with positive results operating a commercial motor vehicle carrying passengers or transporting hazardous materials.