ATA seeks action on national clearinghouse

Updated Jul 31, 2012

The American Trucking Associations on Tuesday, July 3, called on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation to continue making progress toward a national clearinghouse for drug and alcohol test results for commercial drivers.

“ATA is pleased that both DOT and FMCSA are committed to improving truck and highway safety through stepped-up enforcement and through focused drug and alcohol inspections,” ATA President and CEO Bill Graves wrote in a July 2 letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “However, I continue to be very disappointed with the lack of tangible progress by DOT and FMCSA on a national drug and alcohol test results clearinghouse.”

ATA, in addition to being a strident supporter of drug and alcohol testing, says it has lobbied FMCSA and Congress for the past several years to establish a clearinghouse for test results in order to close a loophole in the rules and prevent “job hopping” by drivers who violate the drug and alcohol rules. FMCSA has told Congress they intend to create such a clearinghouse, and Congress, as part of the recently passed highway bill, in effect has ordered the agency to proceed.

“ATA supports increased enforcement of the drug and alcohol regulations,” Graves said. “The long overdue national clearinghouse will be a far more effective way to address the ongoing problem of some commercial drivers evading testing program rules.”